MARSHALL — People may have seen the color orange more around Marshall this month — including orange ribbons on street light posts along Main Street. The eye-catching color is meant to draw attention to a problem facing one in three teens in the U.S..
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and as a community project, a group of participants in the Marshall Leadership Academy want to help spread the word to stop dating abuse.
“To create awareness of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, our group has paired up with local schools and businesses to place posters throughout Marshall and surrounding areas,” group members said. Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes has also issued a proclamation declaring February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in the city of Marshall.
Group members Matt Cherry, Mariah Zeug, Chris Baune, Brenda Desmedt, Connie Nelson and Jill Schroeder said they wanted to raise awareness of dating violence as a service project for the Marshall Leadership Academy. Hosted by the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce, the Marshall Leadership Academy program gets area residents involved in their communities.
Group member Jill Schroeder said Chris Baune, who works with New Horizons Crisis Center, made the group aware of the problem of teen dating violence. It was a subject they wanted to tackle for their service project.