Mutual Ground's Candlelight Vigil in Montgomery Tonight

Tonight, for the first time ever, Mutual Ground will hold its annual candlelight vigil outside of Aurora.

The place? The , at 10 Civic Center Avenue. It’s only the second time the vigil, a tradition that stretches back years, has been held away from Mutual Ground’s home base on Oak Street in Aurora. Last year, the vigil was held at the new Aurora Police Station on Indian Trail.

According to Judy Jacobson, Mutual Ground’s fund development director, the vigil is a chance to remember those lost to domestic violence, and celebrate those who have survived. It is organized each year in October, which is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Speakers this year will include a survivor of domestic violence, as well as Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis.

Jacobson said the idea to hold the vigil in Montgomery came after a team organized by the village’s police department raised $1,113 for the Mutual Ground Walk for Hope on Oct. 1. The Walk brought in around $60,000 this year, Jacobson said, which will be used to fund the shelter’s anti-domestic violence programs.

Mutual Ground, founded in 1975, is one of the largest and oldest domestic violence shelters in the state. It serves southern Kane and Kendall counties, and its programs, designed to help victims take charge of their situations, are kept confidential and offered free of charge. The shelter exists on donations and grants.

The vigil begins at 6:30 p.m. In case of rain, it will be moved inside the station.