Nicholas Conservatory in Rockford has been illuminating the greenhouse in different colors all month long, and tonight they're shining a light on Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Nicholas Conservatory Turning Purple Tonight for an Important Cause

Observed every October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month aims to raise awareness about domestic abuse, support survivors, and encouraging conversations on recognizing the signs of abuse.

nicholasconservatory.com

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Domestic violence can come in many forms:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Threats
• Intimidation
• Controlling behavior

The color purple was first chosen by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence during the inaugural "Day of Unity" in October 1981 to connect advocates working to end violence against women and children. [army.il]

This is why Nicholas Conservatory will light up purple tonight!

They've already recognized Metastatic Breast Cancer with teal, green and pink lights, and Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day and Facial Pain Awareness Month with teal lights.  You can catch more color changes on October 25th for Occipital Neuralgia Awareness Day.

Related: Notice Rockford’s Nicholas Conservatory Glowing Teal? Here’s Why

After reading into Rockford's domestic violence statistics, 25% of Rockford's homeless population became homeless due to domestic violence.  Plus, it makes up 30% of Rockford's violent crimes.

For anyone experiencing abuse or violence, or you know someone in a similar situation, the National Domestic Violence hotline offers free, confidential support by calling 800-799-7233, by texting START to 88788, or through thehotline.org.

You can even join support groups and find resources here.