Book lovers recognized for efforts

They say there’s a first time for everything, and for the first time in 10 years, Franklin County participants in the annual “Walk a Mile for a Child” fundraising event came in first place for raising the most money to support Safeplace, Inc.

Franklin County raised a total of $7,651 to beat out the other five counties (Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston) in Safeplace’s coverage area.

Suzanne Fuller, Safeplace’s volunteer and transitional program manager, said the grand total raised by this year’s “Walk a Mile for a Child” events held across the six counties came to $25,569 – an impressive amount that she said will be put to good use by Safeplace workers as they help victims of domestic violence.

“This money helps us fund our programs like our 24-hour helpline, a shelter program and transitional housing, school programs, court advocates who assist victims in court and batterer’s programs that help prevent the cycle of abuse,” Fuller said. “We at Safeplace appreciate the dedication the people of Franklin County have for making people aware of domestic violence among children and taking a stand against it.”

This hear, the “Walk a Mile for a Child” event in Franklin County was hosted by the Russellville Book Lovers Club and the Franklin Count Domestic Violence Response Coalition, who were responsible for spreading the word about the event and raising the funds.

“We are very glad that people in our county were so willing to give to this cause,” said Kathy Archer, who is a member of both the Book Lovers Club and the FCDVRC. “Making people aware of the problem of domestic violence is half the battle and the people of Franklin County really stepped up to the plate this year to help us do that.”