No one immune to domestic violence

On Jan. 8, a Bloomingdale man murdered his wife and then turned the gun on himself. Tragedies such as this remind us that the consequences of domestic violence can be deadly, and that no community is immune.

It's not uncommon to feel helpless in the face of such events and wonder what, if anything, could have done to prevent it.

While nothing we can do will bring back lives or help to comfort those who knew this family, we can all play a role in trying to avert tragedies like this in future. Like telling someone trapped by domestic abuse about Family Shelter Service. Here they can find real help - first and foremost, to plan for their safety, but also to heal, get assistance with obtaining an order of protection if necessary and prepare for a future of self-sufficiency and independence.

Charities like ours have very small advertising budgets, but we do have one resource - you our concerned community. Every day local police officers refer people to our free, confidential services. Community members can wear that hat, too.

Domestic violence remains an urgent issue in our neighborhoods, one that our community cannot afford to ignore. Our hotline can be reached 24 hours a day at (630) 469-5650 and a wealth of information can be found on our website at www.familyshelterservice.org. We should never be complacent when we are dealing with issues of life and death. Any one of us can be impacted by violence at any time and we all must play a role in stopping it.

Mo McGuire

Wheaton