FARMINGTON — The March For Violence Free Communities in Franklin County will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, starting at Meeting House Park.

It will procede along Main Street, Broadway, High Street and South Street,  and end with a keynote speaker, award ceremony and speak out at the Old South Congregational Church. People in support of a healthier community in Franklin County are encouraged to join the marchers, and all are welcome to line the street in support of a good cause.

Every year the Peace In Our Families Coalition of Franklin County holds the march to promote health and awareness around various issues.

Peace in Our Families will be honoring the Sexual Assault Forensic Nurses (SAFEs) of Franklin County for their work with helping victims of sexual assault in the community. Jade Forester, the president of Amnesty International, Peace Activist in Training, and the University of Maine at Farmington senior class president will be the keynote speaker.

Following the keynote and awards, the community will be encouraged to come forward in a speak-out. People are given the opportunity to talk about their experiences, feelings, and thoughts about the issues that the Peace in Our Families coalition deals with in Franklin County. It is a safe space for people to say as much or as little as they like.

There will also be light refreshments served at the event.

This program is being provided by Peace in Our Families, a community-based collaborative family violence prevention task force whose mission is to reduce the incident and severity of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence. Peace in Our Families includes representation from the Franklin County Children’s Task Force, Safe Voices, Healthy Community Coalition and Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services.