TIFTON — Ruth’s Cottage and The Patticake House (RCPCH) held their annual candlelight vigil Monday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Veteran’s Park Amphitheater.

The Ruth’s Cottage Domestic Violence Prevention Program is celebrating its 15th year of serving Tift County and the surrounding area.

This year the featured speaker at the vigil was Cindy Evers, one of the founding members of RCPCH.

Evers spoke about how the program was a challenge to get started, but that now it’s not only going strong but expanding, which is what the founding members hoped.

She also said that she hoped that one day they would be able to close their doors because there is no longer a need for women and children to seek the protection RCPCH offers.

Domestic violence survivor Joy Weaver spoke as well.

She told her story, about how her mother was killed in a domestic incident that came after continuously escalating violence, and how losing her mother so young affected her and her sisters.

At the candlelight vigil, participants held votive candles in memory of the 102 Georgians who lost their lives due to domestic violence in the past year. Four of those are from this area, and two are from Tift County.

RCPCH gave out three awards at the vigil: Above and Beyond Award, which goes to someone who has gone above and beyond to provide safety for children; the J. Harvey Davis Award, recognizing someone who has shown exemplary service to domestic violence victims; and the RCPCH Service Award, which honors an employee of the organization who deserves special recognition.

J.D. Hart received the Above and Beyond Award; Glorious Phillips, known as “Miss Glo” to coworkers, received the RCPCH Service Award; and Judge Melanie Cross received the J. Harvey Davis Award.

RCPCH Executive Director Nancy Bryan announced several exciting additions to the program.

They will be expanding into a new building that will be able to hold many more people needing a safe haven, they are gaining new sexual assault advocacy staff, and, most importantly, Tifton will be getting its own Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program.

Currently, children who are suspected of being sexually assaulted have to go elsewhere for an exam.

“They have to sit in a police car… in their underwear or diaper, and travel to a totally strange place and lay on a table,” said Bryan, adding that the exam sometimes doesn’t take place until hours or days after the initial assault.

Having a pediatric SANE program in Tifton will benefit these young victims, who will no longer have to travel to Waycross or further to be examined.

This event marked the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which lasts the month of October.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes is another annual event put on to raise awareness during the month. It is mostly men who walk a mile wearing high heels and carrying anti-domestic violence signs and banners.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes will be held Oct. 24 at ABAC.

Follow Eve Guevara on Twitter @EveGuevaraTTG.