Domestic Violence Services (DVS), a program of the Community Action Partnership (CAP), has announced the 2024 recipient of the DVS Catalyst for Change Award, Millersville University Police Chief Peter Anders.

Anders is a member of the Lancaster County STOP-SART Coordinating Team, which works to enhance the partnership between county law enforcement, prosecution, and victims' services. Currently, Anders is the president of the Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association. Anders has been police chief for Millersville University since 2010.

The Catalyst for Change Award, established in 2019, recognizes individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the mission of DVS, beyond the requirements of professional work, to be a catalyst to end domestic violence in Lancaster County through direct service, advocacy, or social change efforts.

Anders will be recognized at the inaugural DVS Spring Luncheon on Thursday, May 23, at the Cork Factory Hotel, 480 New Holland Ave., Lancaster. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will feature keynote speaker Beverly Gooden, an award-winning writer and activist, and the creator of the viral social media movement #WhyIStayed. Her debut memoir, "Surviving: Why We Stay & How We Leave Abusive Relationships," was published in June 2022.

The luncheon event is intended to bring community members together to shine a light on intimate partner violence as a community health issue as well as to educate participants on how awareness and advocacy can create true change for the more than 1,800 survivors DVS serves annually through its emergency shelter, transitional housing, 24/7 hotline and text line, counseling, legal advocacy and representation, and children's programming. Tickets are available at https://caplanc.org/event/dvs-spring-luncheon/.