Ten years ago, on August 31, 2016, I shared a simple RADV drawing with a simple request:
“Please feel free to share our content with everyone. The more you do, the more awareness is spread.”
Looking back at it now feels like opening a time capsule.
The artwork was simple—a hand-drawn bear offering an ice cream cone to a dog. There were no professional graphics, elaborate campaigns, or polished branding. There was only a message, a website, and the belief that speaking up could make a difference.
That belief remains at the heart of Riders Against Domestic Violence today.
Awareness Is More Than Sharing a Post
When people hear the word “awareness,” they may think it means liking a post, changing a profile picture, or sharing a hotline number. Those things matter—but awareness can go much deeper.
Awareness helps people recognize that abuse is not limited to physical violence.
It can be controlling someone’s money, isolating them from family, monitoring their phone, using children as leverage, threatening their pets, humiliating them, or making them question their own memory and judgment.
Awareness gives survivors words for what they are experiencing.
Sometimes a person does not yet call it abuse. They only know they feel afraid, controlled, confused, or completely alone. One shared article or message may help them realize that what is happening is not normal—and that they deserve help.
You Never Know Who Is Reading
Many survivors read quietly.
They may never comment, react, or share. They may be sitting beside the person hurting them. They may be using a private moment to search for answers. They may not be ready to leave, but they are beginning to understand their situation.
That is why every message matters.
The post you share today may reach someone who cannot ask for help publicly. It may remind a survivor that the abuse is not their fault. It may help a friend recognize warning signs. It may encourage a family member to listen without judgment.
We may never know whose life was touched by something we shared—and we do not need to know for it to matter.
The Mission Has Grown, but the Heart Has Not Changed
RADV has traveled a long road since that drawing was posted in 2016.
Our voice is stronger. Our reach is broader. We now publish survivor-centered articles, connect people with resources, build community partnerships, develop chapters, support awareness efforts, and continue creating a bridge toward safety and healing.
But the heart of the mission is still found in that old message:
Share the information. Spread awareness. Help someone feel less alone.
RADV does not have to be the final destination. We can be the bridge that helps someone reach the support, resources, and hope they need for the next mile.
Keep Sharing the Road Forward
This blast from the past reminds me that meaningful work does not always begin with something big or perfect. Sometimes it begins with a hand-drawn picture, a few honest words, and the courage to put them into the world.
Ten years later, we are still asking people to help spread awareness—but now we understand even more clearly what that sharing can accomplish.
Your voice may become someone else’s confirmation.
Your compassion may become someone else’s courage.
Your shared post may become the first sign pointing them toward safety.
Please continue sharing RADV’s message. Talk about domestic violence. Learn the warning signs. Believe survivors. Support the organizations helping in your community. Remind people that assistance is available and that no one deserves to live in fear.
The artwork may have changed over the years, but the mission has not.
You survived. You matter. You made it this far. Keep going—one mile at a time.
Riders Against Domestic Violence
We Are the Bridge.
RADV.org
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For confidential support in the United States, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.