ROBERTSDALE, Ala. – Officials gathered Monday at the Baldwin County Central Annex to announce the kickoff of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Meanwhile, Jerry Sommer, who has served as executive director for The Lighthouse of Baldwin County since its beginning in 1994, took the opportunity Monday to announce that she is stepping down from the position.

“It has been both challenging and rewarding,” Sommer said. Sommer said she and one other employee worked 12-hour shifts in the beginning to ensure The Lighthouse’s 24-hour crisis line would remain operational. Today, the organization operates with a staff of 15 at its offices in Robertsdale.

Sommer introduced Joanne Sheils, who will take over the position of executive director. Rhyon Ervin will serve as associate director.

“I feel so good about leaving The Lighthouse in their hands,” Sommer said.

Sheils, a resident of Daphne, worked for The Lighthouse briefly beginning in 2004 and returns to the organization after a couple of years away, she said.

“I am looking forward to continuing the services that we provide,” she said, “and I am looking forward to the collaborative effort it will take to expand our services.”

Ervin, a resident of Mobile County, began with The Lighthouse soon after Sommer in 1994. For the last 14 or 15 years, she has served as Domestic Violence program director.

“I’m excited to be able to continue to serve victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse in this new capacity,” she said. “I hope to continue the legacy established by our current executive director to provide quality and consistent service to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse in Baldwin and Escambia counties.”

Sommer will continue to serve at The Lighthouse during the transition period, most likely through the end of the month, she said.

In announcing the program kickoff on Monday, The Lighthouse joins other organizations throughout the United States in observing National Domestic Violence Month.

The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed in October 1987. In 1989 Congress passed a law designating October as National Domestic Violence Month, and legislation has passed each year since.

The observation evolved from the “Day of Unity” which was held October 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

According to the Domestic Violence Awareness Project website (dvam.vawnet.org) the intent was to “connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children.”

The Day of Unity soon became an entire week devoted to a range of activities conducted at the local, state, and national levels. Activities varied but followed a common theme, “mourning those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived and connecting those who work to end violence.”

Two police departments in Baldwin County, Foley and Fairhope, now have an officer devoted entirely to domestic violence cases.

“We went back and compared July of this year to July of last year and our conviction rate for domestic violence cases has literally doubled,” said Foley’s domestic violence investigator Richard Humphrey. “We work closely with organizations like The Lighthouse to support domestic violence victims, putting them in contact with support agencies before the completion of the interview process.”

According to The Lighthouse’s website, www.abeacon.org, the organization based in Robertsdale, opened in 1994 and “ is committed to providing support, preventing violence and promoting justice for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.”

The Lighthouse is authorized by the county District Attorney’s office as the official domestic violence shelter in Baldwin County and also provides a 24-hour crisis line, individual and group counseling, case management, court advocacy services, transitional housing, advocacy for children and prevention education.

The Lighthouse is a non-discriminatory, equal opportunity agency, partially supported by the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, Victims of Crime Act, Violence Against Women Act, Department of Public Health, U.S. Department of Housing and Development, and the Baldwin County United Way.

The Lighthouse is a member of the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence.

Sheils said one new program she hopes to implement as executive director is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examination Program (SANG) which provides specialized training for nurses and provides help in prosecuting domestic violence and sexual abuse cases.

“I’m excited about carrying on the established programs we have here,” Sheils said, “and I’m excited about new things to come.”