<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Melrose Alliance Against Violence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Empowering Survivors, Educating Futures]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:20:29 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.maav.org/es/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Strength of Us: A Reimagined Walk Experience for MAAV's 31st Year]]></title><description><![CDATA[For 31 years, every October during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Melrose has done something powerful: we've gathered and walked together. Here at the Melrose Alliance Against Violence, we know our Annual Walk pushes back on the shame, stigma, and silence surrounding domestic violence. It shows survivors they aren't alone, activates our community around the power of prevention and support, and promotes relationships rooted in dignity, respect, and equity. While our purpose for gathering...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/the-strength-of-us-a-reimagined-walk-experience-for-maav-s-31st-year</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aada3fc73e456c0a3ae427e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 21:11:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_a5d8e9059cf9496ea414d36bb3c7a691~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_630,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melrose Alliance Against Violence</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Strength of US: How Connection Can End Domestic Violence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo Credits: Raj Das ED Photography Domestic violence is real and painful — for the survivors among us, the families trying to hold it together, the children who bear witness, and the neighbors or friends who sense something is wrong but don't know how to help. When we think about what it takes to build a world free from domestic violence, we might think the solutions to bring us there lie outside of ourselves — in sweeping policies, programs, or brave individuals. While these are important...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/the-strength-of-us-how-connection-can-end-domestic-violence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8df5b11d0590986fff9792</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:00:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_14204b7099574cab9ab88100e65e1cc6~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meredith Shaw</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[MAAV Welcomes Elena Turco to the Board of Directors]]></title><description><![CDATA[MAAV’s Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Elena Turco to the board. Elena brings over 20 years of experience in relationship management, business development, and strategic planning. Currently serving as Business Development Manager and Assistant Vice President at Northern Bank, she holds a Graduate Certificate from Harvard Extension School, a degree in Economic Engineering, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. As a Melrose resident and mother of three, Elena is deeply passionate...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/maav-welcomes-elena-turco-to-the-board-of-directors</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8dc87db23c95114c711487</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:55:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_ddb73074a76549f6b3490e630fb6ca12~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melrose Alliance Against Violence</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[MAAV Invites Community to Support the 31st Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence  ]]></title><description><![CDATA["The Strength of Us" theme celebrates the collective power of community to build healthy relationships, prevent violence, and support survivors MAAV will host its 31st Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence on Sunday, October 25th at 2:00 PM, inviting families, youth, local leaders, and community members to come together in solidarity, hope, and action. This year's theme, The Strength of Us, reflects MAAV's core belief: that everyone deserves relationships rooted in safety, respect, and equity,...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/maav-invites-community-to-support-the-31st-annual-walk-to-end-domestic-violence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4e6f16da4074f9d0b41084</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:05:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_383afa0e580e45d288ddf0ce41eaca0a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_882,h_296,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meredith Shaw</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Melrose Alliance Against Violence Honors Legacy of Joan Bell with Inaugural Memorial Scholarship]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Senior Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 21 was a very special night for the Class of 2026 and a very special night for the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (MAAV). Alongside the celebration of the soon to be MHS graduates, MAAV was grateful to have the opportunity to honor the memory of Joan Bell, MAAV’s beloved former board president of over twenty years, who passed away unexpectedly  last year. To honor Joan Bell’s kindness, humor, and fierce dedication to youth programming and...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/melrose-alliance-against-violence-honors-legacy-of-joan-bell-with-inaugural-memorial-scholarship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a21c24f14f1bdc7196259e5</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:35:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_5eabe570018a41de8c954e55bc831640~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meredith Shaw</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[MHS Class of 2026 Grad and Rita M. Downey Award Recipient Ell Gimenez Reflects on Student Action Board Experience]]></title><description><![CDATA[Established in 1998 to enable student input into MAAV’s prevention programs, the Student Action Board (SAB) has grown significantly over the past decades. Today, 27 Melrose High School students in grades 10 - 12 serve as SAB peer mentors. Each spring, SAB recruits new members from the 9th grade class, via a competitive application process, to serve SAB starting in their 10th grade year.  Throughout the school year, SAB delivers healthy relationship education, teen dating violence and sexual...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/mhs-class-of-2026-grad-and-rita-m-downey-award-recipient-ell-gimenez-reflects-on-student-action-boa</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a076964df43effc8cdd6623</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 15:11:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_8f55d2a871624a58841e60a142005771~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Ell Gimenez</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[CONSENT &#38; COOKIES ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rethinking teachable scenarios, from toddlers to teens Written by: Jennifer Berryman Horne** Imagine you're a kid and you break a cookie in half to share with a friend.  You feel generous, pleased, empowered.  Now imagine someone rushes up and rudely grabs a cookie right out of your hand.  You feel cheated, shocked, victimized. We all get the difference between sharing and stealing.  Why does it feel confusing or tricky to wrap our heads around these concepts when we wander into the realm of...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/consent-cookies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69efa265d69824aaf89ef25e</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:30:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/092382_4008b9f4d01d4ab48b198bea352f010c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jennifer Berryman-Horne</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“Voices Against Violence” MAAV’s 13th Annual Community Coffee House Celebrates the Power of Creativity, Connection &#38; Community]]></title><description><![CDATA[What an afternoon! The wet and gloomy day Mother Nature wrought was no match for the power and light of community, gathering for Melrose Alliance Against Violence’s (MAAV’s) 13th annual “Voices Against Violence” Community Coffeehouse on Sunday, March 22nd. The special, sacred space generously provided by Temple Beth Shalom was filled  with adults, teens, and children who gathered to support local creatives and MAAV’s mission to interrupt the cycle of relational violence. The  Coffeehouse was...]]></description><link>https://www.maav.org/post/voices-against-violence-maav-s-13th-annual-community-coffee-house-celebrates-the-power-of-creativi</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cafdee20141e70489da3b8</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:54:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/401fd9_d2c967859f734e71b074263a6011904e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meredith Shaw</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>