On November 8, 2001, Amy Homan McGee, a mother of two, was shot to death by her husband in their home in Pennsylvania. The murder was the final act of violence in a history of cruelty and abuse. She was thirty-three years old.

In 2010, with the help of the Verizon Foundation, Penn State Public Broadcasting created Telling Amy’s Story, a documentary chronicling the events leading up to Amy’s death. With an introduction by Joyful Heart Founder & President Mariska Hargitay, the film uses interviews with Amy’s friends and family, law enforcement officers, court personnel and co-workers at the Verizon store where she worked to examine the warning signs that may have changed the outcome of Amy’s story. As Detective Dierdri Fishel—the lead investigator on Amy’s case and the film’s narrator—says, we must look at “what we can do as a community to change the ending for another victim.”

The film concludes with a discussion between Mariska and Sheryl Cates, then-CEO Emeritus of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, in which they begin to address of the many questions Amy’s story raises: Why don’t people talk about this issue more? Why does the shame lie with the victim and not the perpetrator? What can be done to bring change?

Telling Amy’s Story premiered in Washington, DC, at the Newseum on May 18, 2010. The Verizon Foundation, along with Liz Claiborne and the Joyful Heart Foundation, hosted a New York City premiere on December 7, 2010. The latter event was also the kick-off for Liz Claiborne’s annual It’s Time to Talk Day, a national day of dialogue to raise awareness for ending domestic violence and teen dating abuse. Throughout the day, leading talk radio hosts from around the country interview more than 80 guests about what can be done to end the cycle of abuse, how to get involved in prevention and how and where victims can get help.

During the premiere, Mariska welcomed those in attendance and offered some sobering words:

“In the time it will take us to participate in this event, over 700 women will be battered somewhere in the United States. Into that tragic reality comes Telling Amy’s Story, a brave and important tool in acknowledging the truth about domestic violence, embracing survivors and insisting on change. As part of a public service media project, the film brings together the power and reach of public broadcasting with the engine of local engage- ment. Telling Amy’s Story has the power to heal, to educate and—most importantly—to save lives.”

Acknowledging Verizon’s leadership on this issue, Mariska said, “I especially want to honor the courage and commitment of the Verizon Foundation for being one of the first companies to take a stand on this issue, and for making this film and this evening possible.” In the past four years, the foundation has given over $21 million to non-profits assisting survivors of domestic violence.

Joyful Heart Board Member Peter Hermann hosted the event in DC, while Meredith Vieira, co-host of the Today show, emceed the New York City premiere. The events drew a number of distinguished guests from both the public and private sectors, including Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli; Lynn Rosenthal, the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women; Jim Gerace, Verizon Communications president – New York region; Bill McComb, CEO of Liz Claiborne; and Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Following the film presentation in Washington, Rose Kirk of the Verizon Foundation moderated a panel discussion with Sheryl Cates; Melanie Doebler, Director of Public Engagement, Penn State Public Broadcasting; Detective Deirdri Fishel, Police Department of State College, PA; and Joe Myers, Creative Director, Penn State Public Broadcasting and the film’s producer/director.

In New York, the question and answer session featured experts on domestic violence, including Detective Deirdri Fishel; Kim Wells, Executive Director of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence; Commissioner Yolanda Jimenez of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence in New York City; Melanie Doebler; Martha Delehanty, a Senior Vice President at Verizon; and Linda Fairstein, author and former prosecutor, who is also the Vice-Chair of the Joyful Heart Foundation Board of Directors.

Since its premiere, Telling Amy’s Story has aired on more than 300 local public televisions stations, in 47 of the top 50 markets in the United States, covering 85% of the population. It is estimated that over 14.5 million people have viewed this important documentary.