Tree Lit in Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness

East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov, in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) (April), hosted a tree lighting ceremony with representatives of Womanspace. Participants included Womanspace SAAM Coordinator and East Windsor resident Alison Daks, representatives of Womanspace, members of the Domestic Violence Victims Response Team, Chief of Police James Monahan and Township police officers, Deputy Mayor Alan Rosenberg and Council Member Perry Shapiro.

The tree, which sits along One Mile Road outside the East Windsor Police/Court Building, was decorated with teal lights to symbolize the community’s commitment to sexual assault awareness, deterrence and prevention. This year’s theme for the lighting is “Choose Respect”. Womanspace, a not-for-profit agency, is the primary Mercer County – based organization providing a comprehensive array of services to individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault.

Mayor Mironov stated, “we hope that our participation will help focus public attention on the important subject of sexual assault and domestic violence present in all communities throughout our state and nation, encourage residents to become more aware of support systems and resources available to victims and families.”

Womanspace SAAM Program coordinator Alison Daks stated, “The simple gesture of lighting the tree sends publicly the message that victims are not alone and demonstrates a strong coordinated community response that can make a substantial difference in the lives of victims and their families.” She thanked all attending for joining to educate the community and for demonstrating support to victim of sexual assault.