Freshman Abby Hodes Combats Relationship Abuse

By Rebecca Altmann ‘24
While over one in three women of all ages are victims of relationship abuse, only 33% of teens have shared with anyone that they were abused. To combat these statistics, the organization One Love raises awareness to prevent abusive relationships, an often undiscussed subject. 

Now, Abby Hodes, a GOA freshman and ambassador to One Love, is taking action here.
In April, Hodes raised $250 for One Love through a fundraiser she organized called “Move for Love.” 
To spark discussion about the dangers and signs of abusive relationships, One Love asked supporters to move one million miles by logging exercise through their website as part of their campaign. People were also encouraged to donate to One Love. At GOA, Hodes’ goal was to raise $500 and log 600 miles as a GOA team.
Hodes said she hopes to “raise money and raise awareness of relationship abuse and change the statistics around relationship abuse.”
Hodes works with the organization to educate young people about healthy and unhealthy behaviors to end abusive relationships, and first became interested in One Love after hearing about it from fellow freshmen Rose Berman.
“It is not just about romantic relationships, it is also about all types of relationships,” Hodes said. “I am interested in learning about domestic violence because I believe it is important to be educated on the healthy and unhealthy signs to make sure it is prevented in the people of my community.”   
Hodes hopes to have a fundraiser next February in honor of teen dating awareness month, and she and Berman are working to start a One Love club at GOA.  
“We are trying to give young adults education to expand their knowledge of relationship education,” Hodes said. “I want to spread awareness on a critical issue that is not spoken about often.”