ATHENS - The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) presented its “Task Force Member of the Year Award” to the Ahimsa House during the commission’s annual family violence conference. The “Task Force Member of the Year Award” is presented to the task force member who has taken extraordinary strides to better protect victims and hold abusers accountable.

“We are honored to be selected for the 2015 Task Force Member of the Year Award,” said Ahimsa House Executive Director Myra Rasnick. “These outreach opportunities are incredibly valuable to Ahimsa House because it gives us an opportunity to address the link between domestic violence and animal cruelty with professionals and community stakeholders working to end family violence in Georgia,” added Rasnick.

Ahimsa House maintains a presence on thirteen family violence task forces within the Atlanta metropolitan area. This summer, Ahimsa House staff presented information on the links between domestic violence and animal cruelty at the Conasauga Judicial Circuit Family Violence Task Force, the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Domestic Violence Roundtable, and the Athens-Clarke Domestic Violence Task Force.

Georgia Commission on Family Violence Executive Director, Jennifer Thomas says Ahimsa House is a dedicated GCFV partner. “The staff of Ahimsa House are vital members of several Family Violence Task Forces across Georgia. Their commitment to being part of a coordinated community response highlights the importance of recognizing the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. We are both proud and fortunate to have Ahimsa House serving Georgia family violence victims as they strive to live lives free of violence,” said Thomas.

This is the commission’s twenty-first annual family violence conference. The conference was held at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. The theme of this year’s conference was Addressing Domestic Violence in the 21st Century: Where do we go from here? Over 350 local and national community stakeholders including: judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, advocates, survivors, faith leaders, counselors and community members participated in the event.

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence was created in 1992 by the Georgia General Assembly. The Commission is charged with the development of a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia.

Contact Information:

For more information, please visit gcfv.org or contact Jennifer Thomas at [email protected]