Clark Williams is taking the issue of domestic violence into his own hands - more specifically, his own wrists.

Williams, a former basketball player for the University, has co-founded the "Band Together" project - an effort to encourage students to wear purple wristbands throughout the month of October to help start a conversation about domestic violence in their community.

October is national domestic violence awareness month.

"Our main objective is to create more awareness; we're trying to create a movement," Williams said in a phone interview Monday. "If we can get an entire movement of people, it will start to engage more conversations about the seriousness of the issue."

Students will be able to purchase the wristbands for $3 through the project's Web site at www.band2g.com.

Williams and the other co-founder, Max Hines, said they were inspired to begin the project after witnessing first hand the effects domestic violence had on their own mothers.

"We're trying to step outside of the box on this issue that's been near and dear to our hearts," Hines said in a phone interview Monday. "We all know the youth movement is big in terms of changing things in social issues."

The money raised through the project will go toward helping the Atlanta-based Women's Center To End Domestic Violence.

The center provides resources for women and children experiencing domestic violence. It maintains a safe house with 32 beds and mans a 24-hour hot line that receives about 13,000 calls each year.

In addition to providing these services, the center also tries to educate the public about the issues.

"It's important for people to know about domestic violence and to hold their peers accountable," said Amber Harris, director of development for the center. "We can hold our peers accountable for using violence in their relationships."

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