CENTRE COUNTY — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to honor survivors, remember victims and confront the silent crisis that affects families across Centre County and beyond. For Jennifer Pencek, executive director of Centre Safe, this month isn’t about statistics or slogans. It’s about saving lives.
“This month is about shining a light on the reality of domestic violence,” Pencek said during a recent Centre County Board of Commissioners meeting. “Only by openly talking about these crimes and the role we all play in prevention will we truly be able to help people.”
For 50 years, Centre Safe has been doing just that. Originally founded in 1975 as the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, the organization began in a single room run by a handful of volunteers who saw an urgent need for support and safety. Five decades later, Centre Safe has become one of the region’s most vital lifelines by offering shelter, legal advocacy, prevention education and a 24-hour hotline that receives up to 1,500 calls each year.
“We really are the safety net for folks in Centre County,” Pencek said in an interview with The Centre County Gazette. “When you’re walking that tightrope of trauma, it’s not if you fall, but when. You want a strong net underneath you and that’s what Centre Safe is for so many people.”
Today, Centre Safe operates out of three physical locations with its main office and shelter in State College, and two offices in Bellefonte.
Pencek said the nonprofit assists approximately 900 victims of domestic violence, 200 survivors of sexual assault and another 200 individuals and families in need of emergency shelter and housing every year, all within Centre County alone.
“Our clients range in age from small babies to older adults,” Pencek said at the Commissioners meeting. “We work with everyone who needs help, and that work literally saves lives.”
This year’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month also marks Centre Safe’s 50th anniversary, a milestone Pencek describes as both “a celebration and a call to action.” While the organization continues its work at full capacity, it is also facing what she calls “the perfect storm” of funding uncertainty due to delayed state and federal budgets.
“When there’s literally no funding coming in on the state or federal level, that’s huge,” Pencek said to The Centre County Gazette. “We know what happens when places like Centre Safe don’t exist. There’s more domestic violence, more sexual assault and more fatalities. That’s not a situation we ever want to see people in.”
To help sustain operations and strengthen infrastructure, Centre Safe launched a 50th Anniversary Fund, a long-term investment aimed at improving technology, supporting legal services and ensuring the organization’s future stability.
“The goal is to honor 50 years of existence while preparing for the next 50,” Pencek said. “Your donation doesn’t go far away. It stays right here at home, helping families who might live right next door to you.”
While financial support is crucial, Pencek said community awareness is equally important. Too often, domestic violence remains hidden, either out of fear or misunderstanding.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that it doesn’t happen here, or that there’s nothing people can do,” she said. “Domestic violence and dating violence happen in all kinds of relationships: young people, older adults, every community. We need to break the silence and talk about it openly, because awareness is prevention.”
Throughout October, Centre Safe has led a series of events to raise awareness, including Purple Thursday on Oct. 23, a nationwide day of action encouraging everyone to wear purple in solidarity with survivors.
“Purple is the official color of the month,” Pencek said. “We encourage everyone to wear it, take a photo, tag us on social media and help show survivors that they’re not alone.”
Another powerful observance, The Empty Place at the Table, has been on display throughout the month at YMCA branches across Centre County. The exhibit features place settings representing local lives lost to domestic violence, paired with their stories and information about available resources.
“Domestic violence literally leaves an empty place at our tables,” Pencek said. “This display helps people pause, reflect and remember why this work matters, because these were real people in our community, and we never want to see it happen again.”
Despite financial uncertainties, Pencek said Centre Safe remains strong, a testament to five decades of community belief and persistence. “We’ll keep tying the knots in our safety net, no matter what,” she said. “Because the alternative — a world where victims have nowhere to go — is simply not acceptable.”
Centre Safe’s 24-hour hotline is 877-234-5050. More information about the 50th Anniversary Fund, Purple Thursday and The Empty Place at the Table can be found at www.centresafe.org.
