Kentuckians thought they would get a break from the weight of political campaigns in 2021, but in one western Kentucky county, a surge of candidates are
Dr. Mary Foley, Executive Director of the Merryman House, speaks to a small crowd outside the Marshall County Resiliency Center in Benton, Kentucky. Benton Mayor Rita Dotson (back left) and Marshall County Resiliency Center Coordinator Jayna Burkey (back right) spoke as well, asking community leaders and partners to step up in supporting victims of violence by helping connect them to local resources.
Credit Rachel Collins / WKMS News
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and a local nonprofit organization aims to spread awareness of services it provides to victims. The Marshall County Resiliency Center (MCRC), managed by the Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center, invited local elected officials, law enforcement officers, invested community partners and local media this afternoon to ask for help in increasing awareness.
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“Obviously the pandemic still hovered over all of us,” Burkey said. “But we just felt like it was better to at least go ahead and open and be able to see people via telehealth, or what other ways that we needed to meet their needs.”
Burkey said the past year has been an experiment in engaging prospective clients through nontraditional methods.
“So we tried to link arms with the community as best as we could with this different grand opening that we had. But I m thrilled we opened back in August but yes, it has been difficult as it has been for everyone.”