2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month
A Look Back at Our 2025 Annual Survivors Vigil
Each year, Turning Point of Lehigh Valley’s Annual Survivors Vigil serves as a deeply meaningful gathering—a moment for our community to come together in remembrance, healing, and unwavering hope. This year’s Vigil was no exception. Held in a beautifully welcoming space and surrounded by survivors, advocates, family members, and community partners, the evening stood as a powerful reminder of why we continue this work: to honor lives, uplift voices, and strengthen our shared resolve to end domestic and intimate partner abuse.
The Vigil opened with reflections on the impact of abuse within our community—an acknowledgment of the lives taken and the survivors who carry their stories forward. Candles glowed softly throughout the room as guests joined in a moment of silence, creating a collective space of compassion and remembrance. It was a quiet yet profound reminder that while loss echoes deeply, community support has the power to bring healing.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Guardian, our dedicated Event Sponsor, whose steadfast partnership continues to elevate this important gathering year after year. Their commitment to survivor advocacy is evident in the way they show up for this community—not only through financial support, but through genuine engagement in the mission.
This year’s Vigil was enriched by the collaboration of several community partners whose presence helped amplify our message of awareness, inclusion, and unity. Thank you to Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Lehigh University’s Break the Silence, and Victoria Alercia Counseling for standing with us and helping create an environment rooted in compassion and belonging.
We are also deeply grateful to Wayne Barz and Ben Franklin Tech Ventures for opening their beautiful space to host this year’s event. Their generosity, warmth, and hospitality set the tone for an evening centered in connection and hope.
Music has always played a special role in the Vigil, offering healing in ways words sometimes cannot. This year, the room was filled with powerful and heartfelt performances by Dina Hall, Max, the Easton High School Choir, and Vigil speaker Cass Noel. Their voices lifted the spirits of everyone present and reminded us of the unifying power of art—how a single song can offer comfort, validation, and strength.
To our speakers and survivors who bravely shared their stories: thank you. Your courage not only honors your own journey but lights the way for others who may still be searching for hope. And to our volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes—your dedication ensures that this cherished tradition continues to grow in impact and significance.
Finally, to every person who attended, supported, or held this event in their hearts: thank you. Our community is stronger because of you. The Vigil remains a space where love, remembrance, and resilience converge—and where we are reminded that although the effects of abuse reach far and wide, so too do empathy, unity, and hope.
Together, we move forward—honoring the past, uplifting the present, and working toward a future where every survivor is supported, believed, and safe.
