Rustin Boys' Cross-Country Team Partners with the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County 
Rustin’s Boys’ Cross-Country team signed the CBIM pledge on October 3, 2017, and was presented with a certificate of appreciation from DVCCC.
The West Chester Rustin Boys’ Cross-Country team is the second to partner with the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County (DVCCC) to continue growing the Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) program. Coach Matt Taglang is dedicated to the program’s mission, which is aimed at promoting and teaching respectful behavior and preventing abuse, harassment, and sexual assault. Rustin’s support of CBIM continues to grow, modeling respect, integrity, and nonviolence throughout their school and community.
Coach Taglang and his team made time each week to complete the discussions covered in CBIM, sharing thoughts, questions, and concerns with one another. The conversation topics range from accountability for our actions to modeling respect and equality. When speaking with Taglang about CBIM he said, “This program has provided a platform for me as a coach to impact these young men’s lives in a way beyond training them as athletes. The CBIM curriculum has opened the door to conversations that help guide these student-athletes toward becoming the kind of people who will make responsible decisions in the future.”
The program coordinator, Amelia Rayburn, believes that CBIM is an extremely vital program for our area’s youth, “The idea is that athletes are poised, as leaders in their schools, to influence their peers to stand up against disrespectful behaviors and to change the culture of acceptance and complacence.” With the program’s mission, we should expect to see these positive changes ripple out into the community. “I look forward to bringing this program to more of our schools,” Rayburn added.
West Chester East High School has also partnered with CBIM this fall, incorporating the program into their Football season. DVCCC will present the team with their certificate of appreciation on October 20, 2017, during their home game against Downingtown West.
The Mission of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County is to provide intervention, programs, outreach, and advocacy to prevent, reduce and remedy domestic violence in Chester County. The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County provides emergency safe house/shelter at a confidential address; long-term housing; 24-hour telephone hotlines (including toll-free and TTY numbers) for information, referral and support; counseling; children’s services; and legal services. In addition to a confidential site, the Center has outreach offices in Oxford, Kennett Square, Phoenixville, and Coatesville. In the fiscal year of 2015/2016 direct services were provided to over three thousand Chester County survivors of abuse and their dependent children. For more information call the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County at 610.431.3546. To contact the 24-hour domestic violence hotline, call 1-888-711-6270. All services are free and confidential.
