1st annual Take Back the Night rally Nov. 15 | Events

MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY (KFVS) - The 1st Annual Take Back The Night Rally to be hosted by A Community of Women, Inc. will be Thursday, November 15.

The Rally will start at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of First Christian Church of Paducah, 415 Audubon Drive, Paducah, Kentucky. We will gather at First Christian Church of Paducah for an evening of inspiration and empowerment. Speakers will be Captain Matt Carter, McCracken County Sheriff’s Department; Jennifer Villareal, Program Manager at the Center for Community Supports for Four Rivers Behavioral Health; Samuel "Snacks" Hawkins and Griggori Taylor, performance poets; Ali Havens, soloist; and FCC Praise Team.

CAPTAIN MATT CARTER is a lifelong resident of Paducah, a 1998 graduate of Lone Oak High School, and joined the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department in September 2000. Captain Carter graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training in 2001. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2006 and to Captain in 2010. Since his graduation from the Department of Criminal Justice Training, he has served in all areas within the Sheriff’s Department including patrol division, drug division, administrative rolls, and currently general investigations.

JENNIFER VILLARREAL is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) working as the Program Manager at the Center for Community Supports for Four Rivers Behavioral Health, and also as an adjunct professor for the MidContinent University counseling program. Currently she supervises the Adult Crisis Stabilization Unit, manages all requests for both voluntary and involuntary emergency evaluations in the nine county region, and coordinates disaster preparedness plans for the agency. Jennifer is a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health team and the Services to Armed Forces as well as being a member of the Kentucky Crisis Response Board and the Medical Reserve Corps.

SAMUEL “SNACKS” HAWKINS II is a performance poet based out of Paducah, Kentucky, and one of the founding members of The River Renaissance. Samuel has competed in ACT-SO; Afro Cultural Technological Science Olympics; National competitor within Poetry, Oratory, & Dramatics; and  performed at many local churches, classrooms, and venues across the nation from Atlanta to Milwaukee. Samuel was a finalist in the America's got Talent Local 6 talent search 2011. He is currently awaiting publication of his book "This Is Why Kids Wanna Stay Up Late". He speaks for the unheard voices and verses scribbled on lamenting hearts.

GRIGGORI TAYLOR is a performance poet based out of Paducah, KY, and one of the founding members of The River Renaissance. His work embodies a magical realist dreamlike take on reality, which can be heavy, light, or both at once. He has performed from Paducah to New Orleans, and his first book entitled "Picking the Lovely" is due to come out early 2013.

ALI HAVENS of Metropolis, Illinois and FCC Praise Team of First Christian Church of Paducah, Kentucky will provide music and song.

Take Back The Night is an event held by organizations dedicated to helping women achieve safety and empowerment. However, this night is not for women only. Organizers say they encourage men, women, and children of all ages to attend. Violence is a dark part of society that affects us all.

The event seeks to end sexual violence in all of its forms including sexual assault, sexual abuse, dating violence, and domestic violence. These events empower survivors (men, women and children) in the healing process and reminds all of our responsibility in bringing about change. Take Back The Night’s goal is to create safe communities, raise awareness, and take back our streets.

Please come and join us. One voice becoming many can make our homes and streets safe again. Together we can make a difference.

For more information, contact Denese Peebles at 270-519-7988, Rachael Krueger at 270-366-6124, or acommunityofwomeninc@gmail.com. You can also check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/communityofwomen or our website at communityofwomen.com.

Copyright KFVS 2012. All rights reserved.