At Blackburn Center, volunteers are critical to our organization. Not only did volunteers start Blackburn Center in 1976, but they continue to provide thousands of hours of service each year. It is through these volunteers that we are able to strive towards our mission of ending domestic and sexual violence and other forms of violence in Westmoreland County. Because Blackburn Center is focused on both victim services and community outreach, our volunteers have plenty of cho

As the Fourth of July approaches, many of us reminiscence about what it means to be an American. There is a lot to love about our country, and many things that make America great. But despite this, we struggle to overcome certain problems. One of the primary challenges facing our country is our culture of violence. This violence takes many forms, from the racist acts of terrorism in Charleston to school shootings to politically motivated attacks. These acts of violence are

If you follow our blog, you may have learned about our advocacy group, Future Advocates of Blackburn (FAB) from one of its founders, Autumn Stankay. If you attended our Walk, you might have been handed a flyer from a member of FAB, or seen their great t-shirts. Are you still curious about FAB? Head on over to our latest page, devoted to the Future Advocates of Blackburn. FAB is a “topic” group of area for both women and men dedicated to issues involving gender violence. Fr

My name is Laura Fontana and I am a senior at SHU and the spring Greensburg Community Development Corporation intern. I want to share my adventure in downtown Greensburg before I graduate and leave for grad school. It started on a Friday night supporting a friend who was given the opportunity to play the organ at the First Presbyterian Church on South Main Street. Seton Hill students performed organ music that filled this majestic space with sounds that was very pleasing. I

The numbers are in....2015 was our biggest walk yet! We had 1,100 walkers at our 5th annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes! Absolutely incredible! We are so grateful for such amazing community support -- thank you all! If you'd like to see pictures of our walk -- including team pictures, check out our Facebook page for all of the pictures taken by Skysight Photography. Feel free to tag yourself and others in the pictures -- and please share these great shots of our event! Here is

Our annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event is one of Blackburn Center’s signature opportunities to showcase the role that men can – and do – play in supporting our vision of communities free from domestic and sexual violence. While our walkers include women and children as well as men, the focus of the walk is on engaging men in Blackburn Center’s mission to end gender violence. Men from the community participate in a public reading of our pledge, Ten Things Men Can Do To End

Maybe you have heard a little bit about this new group in the community called FAB. Maybe you've been curious but were not sure what to ask. Maybe you were not sure if you were welcome to just invite yourself. Well, here's your formal invitation to find out, ask more, and come join us. Because we are looking for a few new people to join our group! So, what is FAB? Roughly two years ago, Blackburn Center received a grant from The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s g

Welcome, 2015! At Blackburn Center, we are excited to begin a new year, with all of the promise of new beginnings. Our resolution for the new year is simple: to continue in our mission to advocate for the rights of all individuals to live free from domestic and sexual violence in their homes and communities, by eliminating the root causes of this violence and providing for the well-being and safety of survivors/victims. We also plan to expand our outreach efforts through o

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, one word is at the forefront of our minds at Blackburn Center: thankful. Our mission is challenging, and requires an enormous amount of work and dedication. We provide services to thousands of people each year, in the form of victim services and community education and training. Beyond this immediate work, we are striving to address the root causes of gender violence so that we can one day stop the cycle of violence that plagues our

To many in our community, October is a month for visiting pumpkin patches and apple orchards, viewing the gorgeous changing leaves, and preparing for Halloween. But for those of us whose lives have been affected by domestic violence, October has a different meaning: a time to raise awareness for domestic violence. This month, we observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we ask you to participate to help us reach our goals of raising awareness and ultimately ending the

At Blackburn Center, volunteers are absolutely vital to our success. The reason is simple: not only did volunteers start Blackburn Center in 1976, but volunteers continue to provide thousands of hours of service each year. It is through these volunteers that we are able to strive towards our mission of ending domestic and sexual violence in Westmoreland County. Because Blackburn Center is focused on both victim services and community services, our volunteers have plenty of ch

At Blackburn Center, we are actively seeking ways to get men involved in our mission of ending gender violence. We believe that by working with men, we can help to build new models of masculinity and manhood which reject gender violence and help to build respect for women. We invite the men of Westmoreland County and beyond to educate themselves about how to stop violence — not only by refusing to participate, but by challenging other men who do participate in it and by cha

If you follow current events (or our social media pages), you have probably have seen the term “rape culture” used to describe a variety of things, from campus culture to catcalling to rape itself. This term has become part of our vernacular — but what does it mean? According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is