Hundreds of shirts bearing messages of pain, survival, remembrance, and hope transformed the grounds of the Orange County Government Center into a powerful tribute on Friday, October 2nd, as Fearless! Hudson Valley held its annual Clothesline Project and press conference to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Orange County.

The Clothesline Project by Fearless Hudson Valley honors victims of domestic violence with a display outside the government building in Monticello.

Chester Academy was one of four Orange County high schools visited by Fearless! Hudson Valley Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, spreading awareness of teen dating violence through the “Chalk about Love” initiative. The program encourages students to spread positivity with sidewalk art, using words and drawings to talk about what love is to them – and what it is not.