Dove, Domestic Violence Ended - October 16, 2026

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the folks at Dove, domestic violence ended here in Quincy, are celebrating and gearing up for a big celebration on October 30, their annual harvesting Hope fundraiser. So executive director Mick Hirsch and development director Cassie McGlynn are both here again. Hey, welcome back. [00:00:20] Speaker B: Hi. [00:00:20] Speaker A: Thanks. [00:00:20] Speaker C: Thank you again. [00:00:21] Speaker A: Again, great to see you both. Appreciate the opportunity to let folks know about Dove and certainly to help promote the fundraiser as well. Mick, still relatively new. Right on. [00:00:32] Speaker C: I think 20 months, Joe. Yeah, something like that. Yeah. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Less than two years. [00:00:36] Speaker C: Yes, less than two years. [00:00:38] Speaker A: How's it going? [00:00:39] Speaker C: Really well. Really well. And we're always grateful. So let me get that out of the way for you and everyone here at the QATV for inviting us here and giving us the opportunity to just talk about our organization, the work that we do, and the great event that we have coming up. [00:00:54] Speaker A: Thank you. We're happy to do that. Absolutely. It's a great partnership that we've had with Dove for many years, and we hope to continue it as well. [00:00:59] Speaker C: Right. [00:01:00] Speaker A: So as I mentioned, October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the color is purple, right? [00:01:06] Speaker C: That's. That's absolutely true. And it always works out well that we can come in on Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The. One of the things that we're trying to do with. With Dove is to paint the town purple. Cassie's going to share a little bit more about what that means, but I didn't realize until I walked in the doors today that we painted your tie purple. So we got a good start with that. So thank you for wearing purple in honor and recognition of that. [00:01:30] Speaker A: Yes. [00:01:31] Speaker C: And I was thinking this is actually my 25th domestic violence awareness Month that I personally have been involved in, and I'm 50 years old, so half of my life, I have, in one way or another, been dedicated to this cause, and it's been a great journey. [00:01:47] Speaker A: And what's the goal of it? Mick, of the month itself? [00:01:51] Speaker C: Of the month itself is to raise awareness, certainly, so that locally at least, people know that in the 17 towns that we serve directly, that our services are available to people. We certainly do things like fundraising events so that we can do the work that we do. We try to recruit volunteers. We continue with our work, healing the invisible wounds of trauma and doing prevention education in the schools. So it's a very busy month, very active, and just very special. I would say one thing that this year, now that I'm a little bit more settled, that I'm really trying to focus on, is thinking about the role of men. And obviously, that's something that's really near and dear to my heart. So domestic violence is one of those things that is so ubiquitous, not just here in the United States, but everywhere. And I've worked. I think I mentioned this before in the past, that I've worked in Cambodia and Uganda, and I was doing domestic violence work over there and sexual assault work, and it's everywhere. And. And because of that, I think that means that we all have a stake in this, and it's not going to be over until there's no more domestic violence. So we really have to just kind of band together as a community. You know, it's statistically almost impossible for someone not to know someone who has been affected by domestic violence. And it's really my goal. And domestic violence was kind of the launch of this. My goal, that it becomes statistically impossible for someone not to know someone who is involved in trying to put an end to domestic violence. And that means everyone needs to be involved and especially men. [00:03:42] Speaker A: Sure. So specifically, how will dove kind of gear their education toward men? You know, what is it that helps accomplish. [00:03:51] Speaker C: One of the things that I really appreciate is that I had the opportunity, and so does my staff, to write a weekly article in the Quincy sun and Milton Times. And so I was able to kick that off for domestic violence awareness month, and I wrote an article about the role of men. So, you know, trying to get that. The idea out there. And, you know, unfortunately, men are statistically 85% of domestic violence cases are perpetrated by men. It is almost, again, almost impossible. And I can pretty much guarantee all men that they know someone, whether it's a family member, a friend, a golf partner, a drinking buddy, a colleague. You know, they know some man who has. Who either has or is continuing to perpetrate domestic violence. And, you know, that is an awareness that I think is really important to bring to the table. It's not to shame. It's to really just kind of, you know, invite men into the conversation, invite them to bring the gifts and the graces that they have so that we can, you know, pull those together, and we can be even stronger than we are. [00:05:05] Speaker A: Okay. [00:05:05] Speaker C: And if we can do that, you know, that would be a huge goal of mine. And I think that's, you know, one of the directions that dove is going to be looking at. [00:05:14] Speaker A: Yeah. So calling it out, basically, you know, not having it stigmatized. It'd be okay to talk about it. [00:05:20] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I always say that, you know, I don't expect Anyone to be perfect. I don't expect anyone to be an expert in interpersonal relationships. I don't expect anyone to not have, you know, said an inappropriate joke or laughed at an inappropriate joke or, you know, anything like that. We're all human, but part of that being human is to come together and support the humanity of everyone. [00:05:44] Speaker A: Yeah. And is it. Is it men's responsibility, Mick, do you think, to kind of break the cycle of domestic violence? [00:05:50] Speaker C: I certainly think there's a. There's a large burden of responsibility. Sure. And again, I think it's. It's working together. And, you know, like, for example, I think in my role as executive director of Dove, you know, our entire staff is women except for me, but we're working together. And that model, I think, is great. And so, you know, if we can continue to kind of replicate that. It's, you know, we often talk about domestic violence, violence as a movement, you know, ending it as a movement. And so in order for that to happen, we really just need to recruit more people that are passionate about putting an end to this. [00:06:25] Speaker A: Yeah. And encouraging men to be good role models for boys, right? [00:06:29] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:30] Speaker C: And one of the, you know, one of the programs that I know you're aware of that we do at Dove is our prevention education program. That's something that we, you know, promote all the time. It's prevention education, where we have a curriculum. We go into schools, middle schools, and high schools. I think we're in 90 schools right now. Kind of changes from year to year, but we're, you know, it's a great program to really break the cycle of domestic violence. Talk to young people about healthy relationships, about ending teenage dating violence, that sort of thing. Really, really important. The prevention education does a lot more than just that, but certainly that's an. That's an important piece. [00:07:07] Speaker A: Yeah. We've been putting up some contact information for Dove. Website, great phone number, email. There's also a hotline, though, we want to mention. Right. If folks are experiencing or know somebody who is experiencing domestic violence, simply 617-471-1234. [00:07:22] Speaker C: Yep. Yep. That's great. And like you said, you know, most of the time, it's people who are, you know, calling for themselves, but certainly not always. A lot of times it's, you know, it's a friend. It's a loved one. It's someone who's just concerned. And, you know, domestic violence is one of those things that, you know, we may not know. You know, it may. It may not be, you know, perfectly clear. There may not be signs of physical abuse. There may not be black eyes and that kind of thing. [00:07:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:45] Speaker C: But that doesn't mean that it's not domestic violence violence. So a lot of people do call us, and they just want to, you know, kind of learn a little bit. You know, this is what I'm experiencing, or this is what I think my friend is experiencing. What can we do about it? [00:07:57] Speaker A: And it's a great point, too, because it transcends all cultures, all religions, all socioeconomic backgrounds. You know, it is. It is prevalent in all walks of life. Unfortunately. [00:08:10] Speaker C: Unfortunately, yes, but that's. But you got it exactly right. [00:08:13] Speaker A: Yep. So let's talk about something that's fun. Right. It's just as important to have camaraderie around this and have a good time at the same time while doing a good mission. And that's your annual Harvesting Hope fundraiser. Kind of different this year, Cassie. It has a casino theme. [00:08:34] Speaker B: Yes. We're betting on a brighter future. [00:08:36] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:08:37] Speaker B: Yeah. So we were changing location. First off, instead of our Quincy Marriott location, we're moving to Canton, the Blue Hill Country Club, which, you know, a beautiful backdrop. We have casino tables. We have our standard live and silent auction raffle. Will also have the Rom postar band. Rom poster plays the organ for the garden. So we'll have a Sinatra special band. [00:09:06] Speaker A: Oh, no kidding. [00:09:06] Speaker B: Yeah. So really setting the mood. Nice atmosphere. No sit down, dinner. So a little bit more lax, a little bit more, you know, just highlighting our survivor story. Very powerful speaker. Really utilized many of the programs at Dove. So just really special that we'll all be there behind her, you know, just every step of the way of the journey. It just really showcases that we are robust and comprehensive service provider. And we have our pillar of Hope award, which is someone we honor every single year. That is just a champion of our mission, someone that shows up for us year after year. And Mary McKenna from the Sly Fox Tavern. Every year she hosts a fundraiser for us and does whatever she can to give back to our survivors and our staff. And so she's just an incredible person. Very nice evening. [00:09:57] Speaker A: So it's Friday, October 30, 6 to 10pm at Blue Hills Country Club, like you mentioned, on the Blue Hills Golf Course, which is gorgeous. So hopefully it's a nice evening. Tickets available? [00:10:09] Speaker B: Yep, tickets are still available, ideally through next week. Just so we have appropriate food counts. But we won't turn anyone away. If anyone wants to show up at the door, we're happy to take it. [00:10:19] Speaker A: Oh, of course. Yeah, Absolutely. And do you still have a need for raffle items or auction items? [00:10:25] Speaker B: Yeah, auction items. Sponsorships. Okay, we'll take it. [00:10:28] Speaker A: Okay. Can you maybe highlight some of the bigger items that are up for auction? [00:10:32] Speaker B: Yeah. So one thing we're really excited for. Nick Varro from Strega in the North End is going to do a personal dinner for six people. So, yeah, we'll have that auctioned off. Private flight. [00:10:46] Speaker A: Really? [00:10:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So some really exciting things, and then local businesses really like to support our auction. Fill our auction tables. [00:10:55] Speaker A: Excellent. [00:10:55] Speaker B: Super special. [00:10:56] Speaker A: And, folks, we'll see some major landmarks in the area lighted up in purple. [00:11:01] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we have the Fore River Bridge, the Zakum Bridge, Longfellow, and the Burns Bridge will all be lit up purple to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness month on the 30th. On the 30th. And 31st. [00:11:14] Speaker A: Oh, and 31st. Very good. Okay. Why, Cassidy, is the mission of DOVE so important to you? [00:11:21] Speaker B: The mission of dove, it's so important because, like Mick touched upon, it doesn't discriminate. So there are, you know, many people throughout my life that have experienced domestic violence firsthand. You know, one of my favorite is a woman that I met on the sidelines of a soccer field. I would. Had no idea. And then only to come into this job and see her in that capacity, like I never knew. [00:11:46] Speaker A: Just like Mick was saying. Yeah, there's no outward sign sometimes. [00:11:49] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. There's the invisible bruises. There's no visible bruises all the time. And it's so hard to not come across somebody. And then, you know, my expertise is communications and marketing, so I spend a lot of time on social media and just, you know, my algorithm is very much female centered focused, but I understand the red pill and the alpha manosphere and all the news stories that we have about the Cornell 7. And it's not just the 7. It's the 60 odd bystanders and the faculty and administration that just. It's an essay. Not essay. Right. So there's all this rhetoric and narrative online that we have to. I take the opportunities to kind of combat that and try to, you know, find ways to change people's perspective on what domestic violence is and how they can get help. And I just think that Dove has so many services and programs that can really help someone through not just crisis, even, like, exploratory conversations. Is this really domestic violence? What can I do? It's not always fathomable for people to leave. So how do we support that journey? Because it's not. It's. I think historically the most dangerous time is when somebody is leaving, or it takes seven times for someone to leave. Yeah. So it's just, we're there, we meet people where they are, and we're just there every step the way. [00:13:18] Speaker A: Non judgmental. [00:13:19] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And the staff is just exceptional. I mean, we touched on a domestic violence awareness month started in the 80s as a day of unity for domestic violence advocates. Just to say, we see you, we know you're out there doing the hard work. You're saving lives. Let's celebrate together. And so our team really rallies behind each other. And, you know, you don't. You don't always realize that we do the hard work every day. We're really good at disassociating. [00:13:46] Speaker A: You have to be, right? [00:13:48] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. But we have, like, so many members of the community, like Donut King, who made the donuts for us, and Aviva Trattoria is doing cannolis for us. And Masons, like, they all do these. They help us paint the town purple. And it's just, it's nice to see the community rallying behind us because that's how we'll thrive. Like when our community is, you know, we're stronger together. [00:14:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, breaking like. Mick, you have a pin on your sweater. [00:14:12] Speaker C: I do. [00:14:13] Speaker A: Break the silence, right? [00:14:14] Speaker C: Yes. [00:14:15] Speaker A: So break that stigma. Break the veil of secrecy. [00:14:20] Speaker C: Right. And there's so many ways that we can do that. And, you know, there are the, you know, kind of educational ways. There are the just kind of bringing people together and, you know, and celebrating the good that people are doing. There's so much good that people are doing. And, you know, I feel so happy to be a part of this particular organization. But even just in Massachusetts, the Jane Doe organization, which is kind of the umbrella coalition for all of the sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking organizations, the work that the people who are a part of those organizations is doing is so important, and it's really spectacular. There's so much more work to be done. But by breaking the silence and by having excellent communication professionals be out there doing these things, I think it's really. There's hope. [00:15:11] Speaker A: Yeah. That's a great segment. Harvesting hope. [00:15:16] Speaker C: There we go. [00:15:17] Speaker A: How about that is the name of your fundraiser. Right. And that's the whole idea. [00:15:20] Speaker C: Right, Exactly. [00:15:21] Speaker A: Let folks know there is hope. Not alone. There is an opportunity here to break that barrier and get through this. Because there is an end. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. [00:15:32] Speaker C: It certainly can be. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Yeah. You don't talk a lot about your staff, but they are the heartbeat of the organization. [00:15:39] Speaker C: Oh, I talk a lot about myself, but maybe not in the short 20 minutes that we have here. But the staff that I'm currently working with here at Dove is among, I mean, really probably the best group of individuals who are just professional and passionate and dedicated that I've worked with in my 25 years of doing this work. So it's really. They're very, very special people. And the community of Quincy, but the southern Norfolk counties, county towns, and cities that we serve are so fortunate to have these people working with them. And my hope is that we can just continue to grow. And there's a lot of growth that we need. [00:16:27] Speaker A: Are there opportunities at Dove for more counselors, staff? Sure. [00:16:33] Speaker C: We're in the process of recruiting two new attorneys, so family law attorneys. And we're also going to soon. Not quite yet, but spoiler alert, we're going to be recruiting a social worker, and we call them advocates. But the hope is that we will use events like Harvesting Hope to bring in more money so that not only can we fund what we're currently doing, but that we can fund more positions and more programs and more activities that we can do. And that ranges from everything, from being able to offer more support groups, being able to offer more programs in different languages, being able to have an advocate in more police departments. There's a lot that we can do, and with each one of those things, we're talking massive change. We bring in one social worker who is able to take on a caseload of so many people and really make a huge change in people's lives. [00:17:34] Speaker A: We'll have to have you both back for an update on that. That's okay. But in the short term, it's harvesting, hopefully. Casino Royale, October 30, 6 to 10 at the Blue Hills Country Club in Canton. Thank you both. Been a pleasure. [00:17:46] Speaker C: Great. Thank you so much, Joe. Appreciate it. [00:17:48] Speaker A: You're very welcome.