Fallon’s Rockin’ Purple Ride kicks off domestic violence awareness

To bring knowledge to October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Domestic Violence Intervention has organized several events to enlighten participants and to get the community involved.

On Saturday, DVI will host its third annual Rockin’ Purple Ride. It is not only a short drive west of Fallon but also a journey to fight domestic violence.

The ride will start at Fox Peak on East Williams Avenue. Registration is from 9:30 a.m., before the ride starts.

Karen Moessner, executive director of DVI, said all motorcycles, trucks and street legal cars may participate in the event. The $10 registration fee provides the vehicle’s driver with a domestic violence awareness pin and a raffle ticket.

Moessner said people should decorate their vehicles with purple and show support for the cause. The Eagles Hall will provide the event space and The Waterhole & Beatriz Soto donated food for lunch. Lunch tickets are available for $5 per plate for Mexican chicken tacos, rice, beans and bottled water.

“We are so incredibly grateful for the Eagles Hall,” Moessner said.

After lunch, she said Nilzara Pietri Atchison will share her personal testimony of her survival story.

Chrissi Sponsler, advocate program manager, said raffle prizes will be given away to winners who are present at the event. She said raffle tickets are $10 each or five tickets for $40.

“This year the prizes are better than last year; that’s why lunch wasn’t included in the registration fee,” Sponsler said. “This year’s raffle prizes are a 32-inch Toshiba television, 5th Gen Apple iPod Touch 16 GB, 5th Gen Apple iPad 16 GB, four tickets to Disneyland and a one night stay at the Atlantis.”

Other events that DVI will be hosting in October are the dying of the Maine Street water fountain on Oct. 1 at 11 a.m., the Chili Cook off hosted by Big Horn Saloon and the “Hands are not for hitting” bus provided by Churchill County School District (dates and times are to be determined) and Oct. 31 trick-or-treating out of the “Hands are not for hitting” bus.

DVI was founded in 1982, is a nonprofit organization focusing on helping victims and their children of family violence.

DVI helps families directly and indirectly through advocacy and education. In 1998, the organization opened its doors to a shelter, the only one in Fallon.

The services provided by DVI to victims and their families are free and the include the following: 24/7 crisis lifeline (775-427-1500), emergency transportation, emergency shelter, emergency food and clothing, referrals to community resources, shelter program, support groups and peer counseling, legal advocacy — assistance in obtaining TPO and court accompaniment — and sexual assault advocacy.