Next month, The Center for Empowerment and Education (CEE) will launch its 19th annual SafeWalk, uniting communities across northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield Counties during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. SafeWalk is CEE’s signature event to rally support for survivors, raise awareness about interpersonal violence, and fund the organization’s life-changing, no-cost, and confidential services.

For the first time, SafeWalk will feature six local town walks. Events are planned in Bethel, Danbury, New Milford, Newtown, and Ridgefield on October 4, one in Brookfield on October 5, and a virtual option all month long so that everyone can participate from anywhere in the world. After several years of SafeWalk being primarily virtual, organizers are thrilled to bring the community back together in person — while keeping the flexibility that made participation possible for so many.

The Newtown SafeWalk on Saturday, October 4, will start from the patio of Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street, at 9 am. Walkers will take one lap around the trail on the Fairfield Hills campus. Lawn signs describing all of the services and programs CEE offers will be placed along the trail to help inform and bring awareness about CEE to the Newtown community.

SafeWalk is not just a fundraiser, it’s part of a larger movement to end interpersonal violence and create safer communities. Nearly 50% of CEE’s budget is funded through private donations. SafeWalks play a critical role in ensuring the organization can continue providing crisis intervention, shelter, prevention education, and advocacy for thousands of individuals each year.

Participants can register as individuals or teams, walk with friends and family, and even include their pets, with every registration supporting survivors. A SafeWalk T-shirt or pet bandana is included with registration, and participants are encouraged to create fundraising pages, share photos on social media, and join the conversation with #SafeWalk2025.

Participation is $25 for adults, $15 students and children, $75 families, and $15 for pets. Registration is available at thecenterct.org/events.

Ashley Dunn, CEO of The Center for Empowerment and Education, says SafeWalk has always been a powerful tradition, “but this year it feels especially meaningful. We’re not just walking — we’re reconnecting, standing alongside survivors, and strengthening the larger movement to end interpersonal violence. Every step we take together creates hope and drives change.”

“When people join SafeWalk, they’re helping survivors find safety, supporting prevention education that breaks the cycle, and showing that violence has no place in our homes or community,” Dunn added. “Every step we take together brings us closer to a future where everyone can live the life they deserve, a life free from interpersonal violence.”

Alexa Skalandunas, Town Chair for Newtown, notes that in this country, “about one in three women and one in four men experience physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

“It is important to elevate this message in Newtown as we bring the community together to take a stand against domestic violence. Whether you’re walking for yourself, a friend, family member, or neighbor, we encourage you to come out and show your support,” she added.

To create a fundraising team or sponsor this event, visit the website above or contact CEE Special Events Manager Linda Cummins at 203-731-5200 x232 or linda.c@thecenterct.org.

Readers who need support or know of anyone who needs help are reminded that CEE’s no-cost, confidential hotlines are available 24/7. The CEE Domestic Violence Hotline is 203-731-5206, and the Sexual Assault Hotline is 203-731-5204.

Since its founding in 1975, The Center for Empowerment and Education (CEE), formerly The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, has been a safe haven as the sole provider of services to victims of domestic and sexual violence in the northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield County areas. Each year, CEE serves over 20,000 individuals from area communities with confidential services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and provided at no cost.

CEE provides support services in the form of counseling and advocacy, crisis intervention, and emergency shelter. Their advocates empower individuals to find their voice and choose their path toward healing as they rebuild their lives. CEE prevents and reduces interpersonal violence in the community through prevention education and awareness.

CEE is reducing trauma by stopping violence from manifesting in the first place. CEE believes everyone deserves to live a life free from violence.

All funds provided to CEE support their critically needed domestic violence, sexual assault, and resource services for adults and children in an 11-town service area that includes Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, and Sherman.

CEE is a member of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) and The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence.