Stop by Whataburger some morning and look around the dining room. Chances are you will see a table occupied by four men drinking coffee and it is likely, in a town the size of Mineola, you will know at least one or two of them.

Next, take a lunch break for one of those fancy little sandwiches or unique salads at Taste Buds and while there scan the dining room for a table occupied by three women. Like with the men you saw at breakfast, you are likely to know these ladies, or at least one or two of them.

What is so special about these seven random individuals? Nothing for sure, but statistically there is something you could find in them that is one of the greatest tragedies in these United States.

Statistically, one in every three women and one in every four men in the U.S. over the age of 18 has been a victim domestic violence, that is physically abused by an intimate partner.

Shocking as you might find these numbers, they are documented time and again; however they do not tell the whole story for it is believed that as much as 70 percent of domestic violence cases go unreported.

Look at it another way, an average of 20 persons in the USA are beaten or assaulted by an intimate partner every minute. That converts to 1,200 per hour, 28,800 per day, or 10,512,000 per year. Now if that is only 30 percent of what is actually going on that means that in this proud nation we need to be hanging our heads in shame as over 35,000,040,000 Americans are enduring domestic violence every day.

There are many worthwhile groups working to put an end to domestic violence and their efforts are to be applauded.

The Wood County Commissioners Court thinks it is a problem that should be addressed and called attention to it Friday, passing a resolution proclaiming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Wood County. The resolution was unanimously passed and immediately signed and presented to Christian Entwistle, the victims advocate for Wood County for the East Texas Crisis Center.

The East Texas Crisis Center operates offices in Wood, Van Zandt, Henderson and Smith counties. The Wood County office is located at 218 N. Franklin Street in Winnsboro and has a phone number of 903-342-6111. In Smith County, the center’s office has a phone contact number of 903-509-2526, In Van Zandt County the ETCC phone number is 903-567-0959, and in Henderson County contact can be made at 903-675-7874.

A resale store called Flamingos is operated by the ETCC at 2108 South Broadway in Tyler to help raise funds in support of the Center’s efforts. Flamingos is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and on the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.