Governor LePage and MCEDV to Hold Annual Award Ceremony

To kick off domestic violence awareness month, Governor LePage and MCEDV honor domestic violence awareness advocates

Augusta, Maine - On Tuesday, October 2, 2012, Governor Paul LePage will join with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) for their annual tea and awards ceremony to kick-off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The ceremony will be held at the Blaine House from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The ceremony will recognize Governor LePage, Sergeant William Bonney of the Waterville Police Department, Matthew Perry of Family Crisis Services, Daniel Walters of A Call to Men, Arthur Jette of Womancare, the Executive Vice President of Franklin Community Health Network, Gerald Cayer, and Male Athletes Against Violence group at the University of Maine in Orono for their efforts to stop domestic violence in Maine.

Ending domestic abuse continues to be a key priority of the LePage administration. During the past 20 months, Governor LePage has joined with Republicans, Democrats, the Chief Justice, Attorney General, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and others to promote legislation that strengthened Maine domestic violence-related laws, including a law in effect today, which helps reduce repeat offenses in domestic violence cases. The Governor has also established a working group to explore electronic monitoring to allow domestic violence victims to know their attacker’s whereabouts. In July, Governor LePage allocated $18 thousand from the Governor’s contingency fund to help pay for costs associated with electronic monitoring. Governor LePage also conducts outreach events in schools and campuses across the state to speak to students about domestic violence awareness. Most recently, the Governor visited Erskine Academy in South China, where he addressed a crowd of more than 600 students and faculty.