Peace House, the anti-domestic-violence nonprofit, helped provide support and services for 468 individuals through its 24-hour emergency helpline in the past fiscal year.It also provided 185 adults and children safety in its emergency shelter, and 35 adults and children accessed its transitional housing facilities.In addition, Peace House served 130 people from Wasatch County alone, so what better place to host the organization’s annual Be the Light celebration than Heber City?The event, which honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will run from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Heber City Park, said Erin Meottel, Peace House prevention coordinator.“The goal is to bring the community together to raise awareness,” she said. “This year, we’re focusing on how people can become a light and spark change in their own communities.”Be the Light 2024’s programming will show attendees how they can make a difference when it comes to interpersonal violence, according to Meottel.“They can find out how they can be the difference — how they can do certain actions and behaviors to create safe environments for everyone,” she said.The event will start with a brief walk around the park, Meottel said.“Then we’ll have speakers, including our executive director Kendra Wyckoff and Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco,” she said. “After that will be Celene Beth Olsen of the Lauren McCluskey Foundation.”The Lauren McCluskey Foundation is a nonprofit that wants to “change the culture that responds poorly to relationship violence stalking on campuses,” according to its mission statement.“We aim to make campuses across the country safer and more supportive environments where students can thrive,” the mission says.Olsen is a Park City High School graduate, filmmaker, advocate, survivor and board member of the foundation, which McCluskey’s parents created after she was murdered in 2018 on the University of Utah campus by a man whom she once dated.McCluskey, a 21-year-old honors student and athlete, had reported the man to the campus police more than 20 times, but received no protection, according to various news reports.“The murderer was a man she had dated very briefly, but he inundated her with threats and extortion,” Olsen said. “The campus police did absolutely nothing to help her.” McCluskey’s experience with the campus police struck a chord with Olsen, who had been sexually assaulted on the same campus 12 years earlier, when she was a freshman.While reporting the assault, Olsen felt like she was the one who was being interrogated.“As I finished my report, the officer told me that I would be retraumatizing myself if I took this to court, and without a rape kit, it was my word against his,” she said.Olsen kept silent about her experience with the campus police until 2018, when McCluskey’s mother Jill posted on X, formerly Twitter, a year after McCluskey’s murder.“I did so to show my support and also let Jill know that I also faced challenges from the campus police when I came forward to report what happened,” Olsen said.The Tweet caught the eye of local news outlets — including the Salt Lake Tribune and KUTV.“I ended up having a meeting with Jill, and she told me what they were up against in their litigation against the U, and she said it would be fantastic if I would share my story to show this wasn’t something new,” Olsen said. “So I did.”Prior to that, Olsen had been working on a documentary about the victims of serial killer Ted Bundy, and she began meeting other individuals in the True Crime community, particularly in the podcast and filmmaking world.“I was contacted by trauma and sexual assault survivors,” she said. “Along with that, and with meeting some of Bundy’s survivors, it dawned on me that I had never really processed my own trauma, so coming forward has helped me get to where I am today.”Some of the things Olsen has worked on came through her career as a freelance producer. Those projects include “Phrogging: Hider In My House,” “The Real Murders of Orange County” and “The Real Murders of Los Angeles.”In 2022, John Walsh of “America’s Most Wanted” contacted Olsen and asked if she would be interested in working with him on his new series, “In Pursuit with John Walsh.”“I jumped on that quickly because John was someone I grew up watching,” she said. “I was able to go into the field and chase fugitives alongside his sons Callahan and Hayden. And working with the Walsh family opened my eyes to not just storytelling, but also ethics and how to be a stronger advocate.”That’s when Olsen decided to come forward about two more assaults by two prominent True Crime podcasters, which Rolling Stone Magazine reported on.“These two situations, along with my work with trauma survivors, have been organic ways to reach people,” she said. “The more I tell my story, the more that gives people the opportunity and recognition that they can tell their own stories, and, hopefully, help other survivors.”Earlier this year, Jill McCluskey reached out to Olsen and asked her if she would consider becoming a board member of the Lauren McCluskey Foundation and volunteer for a program called Lauren’s Lap.“Lauren’s Lap is a revamped version of the Race for Safety Campus that they have held over the past three years at the University of Utah track,” she said. “This year, they will expand the race, and they plan to utilize the vast majority of the campus.”During Saturday’s Be the Light event, Olsen will discuss her experiences as well as the upcoming Lauren’s Lap, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2.“I do all I do on behalf of Lauren’s memory,” she said.Meottel and Peace House is grateful that Olsen will be part of the Saturday’s program that will also include food trucks, live music and children’s activities.“Reaching children is another important part of what we do,” Moettel said. “My department does so much work in schools, educating the youth, and we reached about 8,000 to 10,000 youths last year. In fact, there was a girl in elementary school who asked her birthday party guests to bring donations for Peace House instead of presents for her. How special is it to have kids that young working to help the community? Interpersonal violence is a hard topic to talk about, and it takes that community support and effort to make a difference.”Peace House’s Be the LightWhen: 3-5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5 Where: Heber City Park Cost: Free, but registration is suggested Registration: peacehouse.org/event/be-the-light-2024 Web: peacehouse.org Emergency 24-hour hotline: 800-647-9161AlsoLauren McCluskey Foundation’s Lauren’s MileWhen: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2 Where: University of Utah Information and registration: laurenmccluskey.org/event/race-for-campus-safety-ut Web: laurenmccluskey.orgThe post Peace House encourages the community to Be the Light appeared first on Park Record.