ASHLAND – “I’m not afraid anymore.”
“You are not alone.”
“I’m free now.”
Survivors of domestic violence stood before the crowd Tuesday night and shared their testamonies of strength, escape and overcoming domestic violence.
But the evening was to honor those who couldn’t escape.
Ashland Safe Haven organized its annual candlelight vigil Tuesday at The Corner Park. The vigil honored 10 Ashland residents who lost their lives to domestic violence.
Eleven candles sat on a table in the center of the park. Families stepped forward one by one, lighting candles in memory of their loved ones.
The final candle served as a reminder of the victims whose names may not be known but whose lives will not be forgotten.
Rebecca Garcia, executive director of Ashland Safe Haven, opened the vigil by reminding those gathered that the women being remembered were more than the circumstances of their deaths.
“Each one of them, their lives mattered,” Garcia said.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller also spoke about the difficulty of knowing what happens behind closed doors.
Homes are supposed to be safe places filled with love, peace and kindness, Miller said. But domestic violence can remain hidden from the people outside those homes.
“You and I can’t truly see inside someone’s home to see what’s really going on,” Miller said.
“Trauma is a real thing,” Miller said. “You can bury it very, very deep, with layers and layers of smiles and happiness and great experiences. But it never completely leaves.”
Miller asked those in attendance to remember not only the 10 women who died, but also survivors who escaped, people living with the trauma left behind by domestic violence and those still living in abusive situations.
Miller proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Ashland.
Kelly Vandreis, legal assistance program manager for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, told the crowd that survivors have taught her some of the most important lessons in her 14 years working in domestic violence services.
Vandreist, who grew up in Ashland County and began her work at Safe Haven in 2012, also shared that she is a survivor, too.
“Survivors don’t need us to decide their lives for them,” Vandreist said. “They need people who will believe them and continue to be there without judgment.”
Sometimes, she said, support can be as simple as telling someone, “I believe you.”
Vandreist said domestic violence affects more than the people directly involved. It reaches workplaces, schools, churches, hospitals, courtrooms, families and neighborhoods.
From July 2024 through June 2025, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network identified 157 deaths related to domestic violence in Ohio. At least 92 children lost a parent, and at least 35% of the cases involved relationships that had ended or were ending.
In 2025, Ohio domestic violence programs served more than 75,000 survivors and answered more than 121,000 crisis calls, texts and chats, Vandreist said.
But Tuesday’s vigil was not only about statistics.
As the candles were lit, the park grew quieter. The silhouettes stood around the gathering as reminders of the women whose lives were cut short.
Vandreist urged the community to remember those women for more than the way they died.
They were mothers, daughters, friends and people who loved and were loved, she said. Remembering them should not end when October does.
“When these candles go out tonight, and we all leave and go home, our responsibility does not end there,” Vandreist said.
