Redmond resident and board member of LifeWire, Andrew Farrell, helped the Redmond City Council proclaim October as Domestic Violence Action Month on Oct. 2. Mayor John Marchione urged all residents to “speak out against domestic violence and support LifeWire’s efforts to prevent and end domestic abuse.”

Farrell, who is also president of Symetra Securities Inc., accepted the proclamation. He has been on the LifeWire board for about 10 months.

“Being able to know that I’m doing a little part to help that and bring awareness to it, that’s huge,” Farrell said. “Domestic violence is completely and totally preventable. It’s something that we can end as a society, as a community. It starts at the grass level. It starts with education.”

LifeWire is the largest, most comprehensive Washington domestic violence agency. They are an advocacy nonprofit organization for clients or victims of domestic violence. LifeWire’s mission is to “end domestic violence by changing individual, institutional and societal beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate it.”

The advocacy nonprofit meets survivors’ needs by offering a wide variety of services, including a 24-hour helpline, survivor-driven advocacy, support groups, legal advocacy and mental health therapy.

Speaking of awareness, Farrell said that it’s critically important.

“It’s absolutely a significant issue. It’s not a socioeconomic issue where it affects one particular class of people,” he said. “It’s a growing issue. Some things in life you can’t control but this is absolutely something that has to be dealt with. In order to prevent domestic violence, community action is required.”

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year. Every nine seconds, a woman in the U.S. is beaten or assaulted by a current or ex-significant other.

The city’s proclamation noted, “ending violence in the home is a national imperative that requires vigilance and dedication from every sector of our society. We must continue to stand alongside LifeWire, advocates, service providers, law enforcement, and our criminal justice system as they gold offenders accountable and provide care and support to survivors.”

The proclamation concludes October as Domestic Violence Action Month and the renewal of resident commitment to end domestic violence and its brutal and destructive effects — in every city, town and corner of America.

To learn more about LifeWire, visit, www.lifewire.org. To reach LifeWire’s 24-hour helpline call, 425-746-1940 or 800-827-8840.