Perhaps it's the brief darkness that nudges people closer, forging among them a unity of purpose as their individual, flickering flames gradually multiply to illuminate the night with one bright glow.
Whatever the psychology of a candlelight vigil, its power as an emotionally unifying force is undeniable, making it the perfect choice for a new annual gathering to remember victims who have been assaulted or killed by loved ones, said Krista McKee, who recently took the helm of the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County.
"Our whole emphasis with this event is to get the word out about the moving and powerful stories behind this wonderful agency," said McKee, who served as assistant director for nine months before stepping in Aug. 1 as president of the 33-year-old center.
"When it was suggested that we hold a candlelight vigil, I just knew it was something we had to do," she said.
Across the country, someone becomes a victim of domestic violence every 15 seconds and three victims lose their lives to domestic violence each day, the longtime educator and Columbia resident said.
"We will mourn the loss of those who've given their lives, celebrate the victories of those who've survived, and connect with each other," McKee said of the Oct. 26 event planned for the East Columbia branch of the Howard County Library.
The vigil will also serve to underscore to community organizations that their support is needed more than ever as the number of domestic violence victims in Howard County has doubled in the past six years, McKee said.
Nearly 2,900 residents made more than 3,900 calls seeking DVC's help during the fiscal year that ended June 30. That's an increase of nearly 50 percent since 2004, when 1,967 residents reached out to the center.
While the center is slated to receive about three-quarters of its $1.9 million budget for 2011 in local, state and federal money, about 11 percent will come from fundraising efforts.
Aside from lighting candles to honor and remember, those attending the vigil will hear poignant stories from 10 speakers whose lives were touched by a wide spectrum of domestic violence — including a father whose daughter was killed and women who escaped their abusers and survived.
The candlelight vigil will be one of the first events McKee will preside over since she was named to replace Jodi Finkelstein, who resigned after serving as DVC director for six years.
McKee, a Texas native, moved to Howard County four years ago from Seattle, where she had spent 25 years working in education. Most recently, she served as head of St. John's Parish Day School in Ellicott City for two years.
"Some people feel I have an unusual background for this job as a former head of private schools and are surprised to learn that I left education," she said. "But I consciously made the choice to work in the nonprofit world after taking some time off.
"As an educator, I helped children fulfill their hopes and dreams. And now I can again create an environment where people live to their full potential," she said, pointing out the similarities between the missions of the two professions.
"I create systems that support and nurture people," she said. "It's all about fulfilling a mission."
DVC expanded its mission of compassion when the agency began accepting sexual assault and child-abuse calls on expanded hot lines July 1. This was handled through a dual partnership with Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center in Columbia and The Family Tree, a Baltimore-based nonprofit working to prevent child abuse and neglect.
The additional services were spurred by the Dec. 31 closing of the county's Specialized Trauma Treatment and Recovery Center, which had previously handled those types of calls. The county's Department of Citizen Services awarded DVC a $233,000 grant to assume the added responsibility.
DVC plans to change its name to reflect this new outreach, McKee said, though they "won't rush into it."
The new arrangement is a sensible and permanent collaboration, said Andrea Ingram, longtime executive director of Grassroots.
"Clearly everyone in the community wanted the STTAR services to continue," she said. "It was an efficient use of resources for our two agencies to answer all of these 24-hour hot lines."
Ingram said she is well acquainted with McKee, who had volunteered her services to assist in strategic planning at Grassroots before she accepted the assistant director position at DVC in November 2009.
"The Domestic Violence Center had a head start in making a seamless transition" by choosing McKee to lead them, Ingram said.
This month DVC will begin a 90-day organizational assessment in preparation for formulating a five-year strategic plan in early 2011, McKee said.
"We will analyze who we are as an entity, shore up our weaknesses and build upon our strengths," she explained.
One aspect of domestic violence that won't be re-evaluated is the need for the center to serve all ages, races, socioeconomic groups, and even a small percentage of men who are victims.
"Domestic violence starts for some in their teens and can affect senior citizens. We recently had a woman in our shelter who was 73," McKee said.
Many people associate domestic violence solely with physical abuse, but there are also cases of financial, sexual, emotional and mental abuse.
"We have never recognized all of these victims' struggles in this way," McKee said of the candlelight vigil. "We must bring domestic violence out into the open and discuss it in order for all of us to become stronger."
If you go
The DVC Candlelight Vigil 2010 to raise awareness about domestic violence in Howard County will take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the East Columbia branch of the Howard County Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. For more information, call Diana Philip at 410-997-0304 or go to dvcenter.org. Residents seeking support can call the center's 24-hour domestic violence helpline at 410-997-2272 or the sexual assault helpline at 410-997-3292.