Victoria Throm hopes to paint Covington purple in October.

Throm, the founder of the Covington Domestic Violence Task Force, is preparing for the fifth annual Purple Light Nights Campaign which goes well beyond the city limits.

It is part of the National Domestic Violence Awareness month with the color purple serving as a color used to associate education and awareness on the issue.

When Throm first started the campaign in 2007 the idea was to honor victims who had died as a result of domestic violence as well as to support survivors and give hope to those still living in domestic violence.

“Everything will go live at the second annual tree lighting kickoff on (Saturday),” Throm said. “The tree will have 2,000 purple lights provided by the (city’s) parks and recreation department. Covington Public Works is taking over the installation of those tree lights. It’s going to be cool because we’re having the tree lighting in the little triangle parking lot in front of Cutter’s Point and Los Cabos, so, that will be a wonderful venue.”

A number of service clubs will be at the lighting of the tree, which is located in the roundabout near Fred Meyer on 168th Place Southeast, Throm said, including the Covington Lions Club, Covington Rotary, Kiwanis of the Foothills, the Jennifer Beach Foundation and a new participating group, the Genesis Project, which is based out of the Des Moines-Burien area.

“It’s focused on human sex trafficking,” Throm said of the Genesis Project. “I asked them if they’d like to have a booth because I felt like it would fit in well with domestic violence awareness.”

Everything will be free, Throm said, from the purple glow sticks to refreshments.

Since the campaign began, it has grown significantly, and there are new groups as well as projects this year.

For example, Throm explained, the Covington DVTF has expanded its bathroom flier project beyond City Hall.

“In the bathrooms at City Hall for the last few years we have always posted little tear off sheets for the DAWN crisis line,” she said. “So we created some posters that go in the back of each stall… with little tear off numbers. Those are replaced often, I can’t tell you how often women are tearing off those numbers.”

This project was launched in August.

“We’re visiting every public facility in Covington, restaurants, shopping centers and some doctor’s clinics, and all we’re asking is for their permission to post them,” Throm said. “We have volunteers that visit every month, they post them with tape, if the numbers are gone, they’ll replace them with new ones. The volunteers are totally responsible for keeping the walls clean and neat.”

Throm explained the expanded availability of the bathroom fliers in the community is exciting because it increases awareness and gives women another way to connect with resources for victims.

A new partnership is forming locally, as well, Throm said, with the Greater Maple Valley Community Center’s teen center, The Den.

“They have reached out and they want to be more involved in domestic violence education and offering a class,” she said. “They’re interested in offering In Their Shoes to their leadership group.”

In Their Shoes is a role playing exercise that helps teens gain a greater understanding of domestic and dating violence.

Throm said the best way to stop the cycle of violence is to education and starting with teens just makes sense.

She hopes to continue working with local teens to educate them about dating violence.

“Another area that I’ve been working with is the youth groups that are faith based,” Throm said.

For example, Throm said, she’s connected with the youth group at St. John the Baptist in Covington. The group is doing a fundraiser on Saturday, a bunco night, and the leaders of the group wanted to raise money for a local organization and chose the DVTF.

“They’re selling purple lights,” she said. “They’re just dynamite. Those kids are amazing. They’re raising lots of money and awareness of dating violence.”

Throm also has started working with Kent-based Project U(th) (pronounced ‘youth’).

“These kids, they’re real leaders, they want to make decisions,” she said of Project U(th). “One thing I said I needed was a poster. In a day and a half a kid created this poster. I’m hoping that they will get more involved.”

Throm will also speak to the youth group from Covington Christian Fellowship in late October to discuss dating violence issues with the kids.

“I feel very excited about getting more time with our faith based community and getting their support because it’s an issue everywhere,” she said.

As far as the Purple Light Nights campaign goes on a wider scale, it continues to grow in other communities across the country, Throm said.

In 2008, cities and counties in five states participated, in 2009 the number of states participating rose to 14. In 2010 there were 20 states participating as well as growing interest internationally as well as two provinces in Canada.

This year the campaign has grown to 23 states and now includes Texas and New York.

Many states that participated in previous years have seen growth, too, Throm said. Ohio, for example, is going statewide and will light up landmarks purple.

A third Canadian province is participating this year.

And work continues to incorporate the campaign into a violence awareness month in England in November.

Going international, Throm said, “That will be our next big step into new territory.”

Money raised through the sales of purple light bulbs and strings of lights, which are available at the Maple Valley Community Center and Covington City Hall, goes to support the Covington Domestic Violence Task Force.