By Rhea Choudhary | Staff Writer
Baylor Law HEAL (Help, Educate, Advocate and Learn), a student organization dedicated to advocating for victim-survivors in the legal system, will host its annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month event from 2 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Hotel Herringbone in downtown Waco. The event will feature community partnerships, donation drives and interactive activities designed to raise awareness and support survivors.
In preparation for this event, organizers have been planning for months. Austin law student Grace Neale is the event organizer and said planning began over the summer in partnership with Baylor’s Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office, Mine Not Yours: The Movement, Waco Family Abuse Center and multiple other student organizations.
“The HEAL exec team and myself have been meeting with Christina [Gonzalez] from Mine Not Yours for a couple of months, as well as the Title IX office, to figure out partnerships for the event,” Neale said. “We’ll have various student organizations at the law school and nonprofits tabling, and we’ve shared information through undergrad organizations like the pre-law department.”
Leading up to the event, Baylor Law HEAL launched an Amazon Wishlist fundraiser that will run through Oct. 1. Donations purchased through the wishlist will be directly shipped to Baylor Law and used to create survivor donation bags at the event.
“These items will be used to build survivor donation bags at the event,” Neale said. “The event is open to law students, undergrads and community members; we want as many people involved as possible.”
Christina Gonzalez, founder of Mine Not Yours: The Movement and a 2023 Baylor graduate, said the partnership came naturally after she connected with HEAL in June.
“Grace called me on Jun. 20, and a 15-minute call turned into an hour and a half of brainstorming,” Gonzalez said. “We really wanted to aim high and make this a big event so we could give back to the community.”
Mine Not Yours will sell candles and apparel at the event, with 15% of profits benefiting the Waco Family Abuse Center. Gonzalez said bringing awareness to domestic violence is critical.
“Domestic violence is something that is very common, but it’s often not talked about,” Gonzalez said. “It does not just look like physical violence. It can be emotional, psychological [or] financial. This event is about sparking conversations, strengthening the community and looking at prevention.”
At the event, attendees can expect more than donation bag building. Student organizations and nonprofits will host interactive tables with activities and learning opportunities. Vendors will sell goods, Hotel Herringbone will have food and drinks available for purchase, and the Title IX office will sponsor a photo booth.
“All profits from the fundraiser, donations and sales go to the Family Abuse Center,” Neale said. “We want students to walk away not just with awareness, but with practical ways they can recognize and help prevent domestic violence in their own lives.”
The team’s main priority leading up to the Baylor Law HEAL DVAM event will be collecting donation items through the Amazon Wishlist page.
