INDIANAPOLIS — They say every picture tells a story, and for Danyette Smith, hers are a tale of survival. “From having a gun placed to my head and told I would be killed, to currently having plates in my eye. I remember in 2008 just looking up to the ceiling and was like, 'When I get out of t his, I’m gonna be who I need,” Smith said. “Didn’t know who I needed, what I needed, but I knew I needed something to help me break free from what I was in.” Smith is a survivor of domestic violence. For a decade, Smith suffered through the vicious cycle of an abusive relationship. After walking away from it in 2014, she looked to start a new chapter, not only for herself but for others like her. “It went from just being a prevention to intervention,” Smith said. Smith's determination also became the foundation of Silent No More, an advocacy program dedicated to domestic violence awareness. Since the organization launched, Smith has helped educate communities and connect survivors to vital resources using methods like going door to door. “I literally started Silent No More from a Microsoft Word document, and collecting donations from the community, and then taking them all to Coburn Place,” Smith said. “On 29th and Sherman, which is a high domestic violence area, we stayed on that corner, and we made posterboards and signs, and we held them letting the community know this is a high domestic violence area, there are resources,” Smith added. “We also walked door to door to 500 homes, and we picked 500 because I knew that guns in the home of domestic violence increases the chance of homicide by 500%.” When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Smith hoped to take a step back from her efforts as Silent No More was funded solely through her own money. However, a simple email would significantly boost her program and the opportunity to reach more people. “I received an email for $30,000, unrestricted funds, to pour into Silent No More,” Smith said. “I took $20,000 of that solely for partnerships with hotels. That’s when I started to go to hotels and be like ‘Hey, this is what I’m doing … Can we get some fixed rates just for survivors of domestic violence,’ and then the other $10,000 I poured into the infrastructure.” From there, what started as a passion project using her own money ultimately led to other agencies taking notice and forming partnerships to better help survivors. While the need for resources has always been there, Smith said the pandemic truly brought it to light. “Families were shut in," Smith said. "There were no schools that could tell when domestic violence was happening, or even when child abuse was happening. So, the majority of it was happening in the homes. There was less jobs, which means that there was less food. There was so much that was less, and then mental illness was increasing.” In turn, it also led to more calls for homicides. “There was a 183% increase in homicides just in that period of 2020 and 2021, related to domestic violence,” Smith said. "And there was no city domestic violence program.” However, that would soon change. By 2022, Smith was officially named director of Indy Champions, the city’s first-ever domestic violence prevention program. In partnership with city leaders and domestic violence agencies, Smith built the program from the ground up and handpicked its members, who she says truly embody the “champions” namesake. “We, all of my team, persevered and survived through domestic violence,” said Smith. “We’re all survivors of domestic violence. So, not only are we able to help (survivors), but we’re able to get in their shoes and walk with them right where they are instead of trying to pull them to where they need to be.” Since being in operation for the last three years, Indy Champions now includes a youth champion, advocates and a 24-hour crisis line, which is managed by the organization's intake coordinator. “That’s one of the biggest things," Smith said. "We wanted to make sure that someone was there 24 hours a day." Aside from its internal additions, one of the program’s biggest accomplishments is playing a role in decreasing domestic violence-related homicides in Indianapolis. Smith said it’s a feat that can’t be credited to just her organization alone. “It wasn’t just an Indy Champions thing, and I tell everybody that, it was us coming together collectively as agencies,” Smith said. “How can we be different, but how can we do it together? Because that’s how we’ll make a better impact.” For Smith, seeing the impact of her efforts in real time is not only humbling, but a reminder of her purpose. “Being so humble, you don’t look for praise,” she said. “You don’t look for pats on the back or congratulations, but when you hear a survivor say thank you or when you just give them a hug, and they say that meant so much to me … Then it just fills my cup up even more.” Meanwhile, for Smith's family, their cup is overflowing. “When I think about all that she’s done, and what she has made out of her life, I just say thank God,” said Frances Ray, Smith’s grandmother. For Ray, watching Smith throughout her journey has been like a metamorphosis, as she finally blossoms into the Remarkable Woman she’s always been. “For her to do all that, while she’s raising her children, and they’re remarkable young women because of her,” said Ray. “We all know she’s a remarkable woman, but God said this time is Danyette’s time.” Through it all, you can call Smith a lot of positive things, whether it be remarkable or a champion, but to her, it’s finally being who she needed. “I remember those nights when I didn’t have anybody to call,” said Smith. “So, if I can be that one person that you call, and say ‘I’m feeling that I think I’m about to give in,' and I can pour into you, and encourage you, and remind of what you’ve been through … Then I’m hitting my mark.” ...read more read less