YWCA Greenwich Holds Candlelight Vigil, Honors Demetria Nelson with Purple Ribbon Award

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. On Tuesday the YWCA Greenwich Harmony Project held their annual community candlelight vigil, where they also honored Demetria Nelson, LCSW, with their purple ribbon award.

Ms Nelson is the Commissioner of the Greenwich Dept of Human Services. She has worked tirelessly to support Greenwich’s most vulnerable residents including clients of the YWCAs Harmony Project.

YWCA Greenwich President and CEO Mary Lee Kiernan said the gathering supported both survivors of domestic abuse and their families, as well as honor those who lost their lives to domestic violence in Connecticut over the past year.

For 44 years the YWCA Greenwich has supported tens of thousands of adults and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Last year alone staff served 610 individuals and responded to almost 2400 calls to their hotline. Hundreds more clients simply walked through the YWCA’s front doors.

YWCA Greenwich is the only state-designated provider of domestic violence services in the community, where domestic violence remains the number one violent crime.

“No one is ever turned away and all our services are 100% free,”  Kiernan said, adding that in 2023, the YWCA added sexual violence services to their full range of domestic violence services and changed the name of the program to The Harmony Project.

She said legislation to provide trauma-informed sentencing in Connecticut, the Survivors Justice Act, had yet to pass.

She noted that four other states, including New York, had passed similar laws that allow for consideration of abuse and violence in sentencing or re-sentencing of survivors who acted in self-defense.

Kiernan noted the YWCA Greenwich was monitoring the federal shutdown to anticipate cuts or delays that may come in the fiscal year and beyond. She said 100% of staff at the Office of Violence Against Women at the Dept of Justice had been furloughed, and 100% staff at the Office of Family Violence Prevention Services at HHS Dept had also been furloughed, created serious delays in disbursements.

Kiernan introduced Jacqueline Collazo, Director of Harmony Project, who came to the YWCA from Volunteers of America where she oversaw seven domestic violence and human trafficking shelters around greater New York.

Ms Collazo described domestic violence was a painful often hidden struggle that impacts individuals and families in all communities, and noted it takes tremendous strength for victims to ask for help.

She thanked the Greenwich Police Dept for responding to domestic violence calls with compassion, courage and professionalism.

Collazo said domestic violence was not just a private issue.

“It’s a public crisis. It’s a health crisis. It’s a human rights crisis,” she said. “Every minute about 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.”

Ms Collazo said in the past year 2024 the lives of 19 people in Connecticut were violently taken away due to domestic violence. Most were violently taken away by an intimate partner, and some, by a family member.

“Their ages span from 3 months old to 83-year-old,” Collazo said. “Today we will also acknowledge the tragic murder of Suzanne Adams who was killed by her son last August.”

YWCA Greenwich has provided domestic abuse services for over 40 years, but in the past decade, services have become more comprehensive, expanding to include professional training, violence prevention programs, and sustainability services such as housing civil/legal guidance and financial empowerment.

Also, emergency shelter is offered to those who do not feel safe where they are living. They also provide individual and group counseling for adults, teens and children – in Spanish and any other language.

Collazo also acknowledge the hard work of Harmony Project staff.

“Doing this work takes a deep emotional toll on us as human beings,” she said.

Jessie DeMuzio, Director of Programs for the Harmony Project, said what was once considered a private family matter is now acknowledged as a public health crisis.

“The lifetime economic cost associated with medical services for intimate partner related injuries, lost wages, criminal justice responses and other costs is $3.6 trillion,” DeMuzio said.

“While we think of Greenwich a pretty safe area, it’s ironic that the place many residents are most unsafe is inside their own homes and relationships – whether that be a multi-million dollar property or a rented apartment.”

Demetria Nelson LCSW, Greenwich Commissioner of Human Services, was introduced as the Purple Ribbon Award honoree for her dedication, strength and commitment to the issue of domestic violence.

“She is a strong advocate for mental health awareness and in seeking to reduce stigma,” Collazo said of Nelson.

After Ms Nelson received a standing ovation from the crowd, she said her department’s relationship with the YWCA was invaluable.

“The YWCA’s client-centered and trauma-informed approach is reflected in each and everything they do, including the current renovation,” Nelson said.

State Representatives Tina Courpas (R-149) and Hector Arzeno (D-151) delivered a citation from Connecticut General Assembly congratulating Ms Nelson.

The keynote speaker was a young father who turned to the Harmony Project after he and his three children were in an untenable situation.

“All I remember were the dark days full of sadness, hopelessness, depression and anxiety that was not only affecting me but my children – mentally and emotionally,” he recalled. “They were living in an environment that was not healthy for them. Our days were surrounded by screaming and yelling in anger. I knew deep inside this was not the life I wanted for my children and myself.”

He said on the last Sunday of October of 2023, after eight years of not having a voice, he knew he had to make a change and went for a desperate drive with his children.

“I drove by the YWCA and saw the sign for domestic violence. I wrote down their hotline number,” he said. “It said, ‘Empowering Women.’ However, a minute later I pulled over and I called.”

He said his first steps was to receive counseling for himself and his children that helped them through their fears and trauma.

Second, he worked with housing coordinators to secure a safe and healthy living environment.

Two years later he said he was exiting the rapid re-housing program.

“I would not be able to be who I am today if not for the housing program and therapy. Two years later, all we have in my home are smiles, goals an dreams to conquer.”

She noted The Harmony Project’s 24/7 hotline is (203) 622-0003.

See also:

Milestone Reached: YWCA Greenwich Breaks Ground on Renovation and Addition

Sept 22, 2025

2025 Walk & 5K Run Against Domestic Violence Brings Attention to Greenwich’s Most Reported Violent Crime

Oct 5, 2025

After the reading of names of those who lost their lives in the past year to domestic violence, members of student activism club at GHS sponsored by YWCA Greenwich called YNET the youth network.

YNET students have opportunities to become leaders as they focus on changing the culture around teen dating violence and promoting healthy relationships.

talked about their efforts to help students understand the traits of healthy and unhealthy relationships.

For students in grades 8 and higher, the curriculum includes teen dating violence content to support students understanding what constitutes abuse in dating relationships.