Riverside—October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the UC Riverside Athletics Department is partnering with the Family Justice Center (FJC) to end violence against women and their children. On Friday, October 21, the Highlanders are hosting their Domestic Violence Awareness Game as the UC Riverside Women's Soccer Team takes on UC Santa Barbara at 7 pm PT.

Nearly all of us have been impacted by domestic violence, or know somebody who has been. The family of recent UC Riverside graduate, and former Highlanders volleyball player, Kristin Van Dongen '13, unfortunately experienced this first hand in the most horrific way possible. On January 17, 2014, her mother, Teri, sustained a gun shot wound to the chest through an act of domestic violence. Upon her mother's arrival at the hospital, doctors were forced to remove her left lung and spleen.

Although she survived the ordeal, and has made wonderful strides with her rehabilitation, Kristin's mother still has a long road to travel.

This is but one of millions of examples of domestic violence that are committed each year in the United States. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.

To honor those whose lives have been touched by domestic violence, and to raise awareness of the toll it takes on our society, the Highlanders will wear commemorative purple shirts during pregame warm ups, donated by adidas. They will be joined by the Gauchos in wearing additional purple accessories during the match such as ribbons, hair bands and athletic tape. The first 200 fans in attendance will also receive these commemorative shirts, and fans wearing purple will receive $1 off the ticket price..

In addition to the Family Justice Center, members of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the UC Riverside Police Department (UCPD), and Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) will table at the match, handing out information relative to domestic violence awareness and other related issues.

Leading up to the match, members of UC Riverside's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will table on campus handing out information about domestic violence awareness. Student-athletes will also attend a symposium on domestic violence led by FJC's Kym Conover.

Fans are encouraged to use the hashtags UCRagainstDV and CampusOfRespect throughout the remainder of October to show their support for the cause.