“Paying tribute to any victim of violent crime is inevitably how we acknowledge and remember all victims of violence in our society,” says Barbara Clark, executive director of NOVA.
That is the goal of NOVA’s annual Candlelight Tribute, a moving remembrance of all victims of crime, held this year on Thursday, April 26, at the Victims' Commemorative Arbor overlooking Lake Luxembourg in beautiful Core Creek Park. The park is located in Langhorne, Middletown Township, south of Newtown and just east of Route 413 on Tollgate Road. The tribute begins at 5:30pm with a half-hour reception and light refreshments: follow the balloons to reach the site.
Inclement Weather: In case of inclement weather, the service will be moved to Core Creek Community Church located at 1110 Langhorne-Newtown Rd., Langhorne, PA 19047 across from St. Mary Medical Center and Core Creek Park on Route 413. A weather decision will be made by 2:00 pm on the day of the service and posted on NOVA's Facebook page (facebook.com/nova.bucks) and this website.
Each year, in connection with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victims and their families gather with NOVA supporters and community leaders for the early evening ecumenical service: a moving hour of poetry, music and reflection. All are invited to share in this experience, honoring loved ones lost to or affected by violence and celebrating the many successes of the victims’ rights movement. Victims share their compelling stories, and community leaders speak of the importance of supporting victims and their families. The program includes remarks by representatives of local law enforcement and the justice system.
Along with a reading of a Victim Impact Statement, Pastor Ginny Miles of Penn’s Park United Methodist Church will offer a prayer of healing.
For more information on the Candlelight Tribute or NOVA’s many services and programs, please contact NOVA at 215.343.6543 or visit NOVA’s website, www.NOVABucks.org. For information about 2012 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at http://www.ovc.gov.
