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Nine years ago Jody Marchand of Westford lost her 17-year-old, college-bound daughter, Olivia, to a horrific act of domestic violence. In the years since, Marchand founded the Live for Liv Foundation and now speaks to groups about the warning signs of a potentially dangerous domestic situation.
Marchand knows these signs only too well. She was critically wounded in the same act of domestic violence, taking a bullet to her jaw that lodged and remains in her shoulder.
Her husband Brian turned the gun on himself, according to police, and died along with his daughter.
Marchand is determined to keep “Liv’s” memory alive.
The Ride for Liv/Run for Liv is the foundation’s annual fundraiser. A portion of the raised funds go to Alternative House, a shelter in Lowell, Massachusetts, for victims of domestic violence. Two scholarships are handed out each year to graduating Westford Academy seniors. This year the students each received $1,500.
The Live for Liv board has a lofty ambition for another portion of the funds. The members are creating an endowment that will one day fund an apartment for a victim of domestic violence — a safe haven for someone who needs to get away from a dangerous relationship.
This video introduces readers to Marchand, her brother Scott Toney and several volunteers. WestfordCAT News Director Joyce Pellino Crane, a board member of the Live for Liv Foundation, hosts the video.
Video by Patty Stocker
