‘I’ve been crying all day’: Seward community stepping up to end domestic violence
SEWARD, Neb. (KLKN) — The Seward community is stepping up to end domestic violence.
Family and friends are coming together to start a nonprofit called “EnoughDV” to bring awareness to domestic violence.
The group saw a need for change after Jamie Hagen was killed by her ex-fiancé on February 8th.
SEE ALSO: ‘My heart is just full’: Seward community holds fundraisers for Jamie Hagen’s family
On Saturday, they held a fundraiser to raise money for their cause.
Kate Barker, the communications director for EnoughDV, told Channel 8 they are overjoyed by the amount of people who have come out to show their support.
“I’ve been crying all day,” she said. “Everyone has been very supportive. Everyone we’ve talked to, no matter where they’re from. Especially in Seward though, a lot of support in Seward.”
SEE ALSO: Man pleads not guilty to killing ex-girlfriend in Seward
And Jenny Juranek, the secretary for EnoughDV, said they noticed a lack of domestic violence awareness within the community.
“We recognized a need for more assistance in rural communities,” she said. “I think in general, there’s a lack of awareness about domestic violence, so I think that’s one of the things we aim to do. Maybe look at getting laws changed. I think Jamie’s situation brought awareness that maybe some of the laws don’t support victims as well as they could.”
Going forward, Barker said they want to help everyone across the state in a unique way.
“I sort of feel like we are leaning more towards the system side of things to hopefully prevent the need for survivor support so much,” Barker said.
SEE ALSO: Seward community holds candlelight vigil in remembrance of Jamie Hagen
And Juranek said they are having another fundraiser on August 16th to keep shining a light on domestic violence.
“I think that domestic violence affects a lot of people, but they don’t talk about it so much so it is empowering and uplifting to have support from the community,” Juranek said.
