• 2021 Guardians for Good Awards Celebration
  • 24-hour Crisis Hotline & Textline
  • 4th Annual Guardians for Good Awards Celebration – Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022
  • About Us
  • Agency Publications
  • Annual Report
  • Calendar
  • Community Connectedness Award
  • Community Resources
  • Contact Form
  • COVID19
  • Crisis Engagement Coordination Program
  • Crisis Services
  • Donate
  • Donate Now
  • Donations TEST
  • Donors
  • Employees Only
  • Employer Match
  • Enroll Your Kroger Card
  • Estate Planning
  • FAQs
  • Get Involved
  • Giving Guide
  • GSGConference
  • Guardians for Good
  • Guardians for Good Award
  • HelpLine 50
  • HelpLine Annual Meeting
  • HelpLine Brand Standards
  • HelpLine Recognizes National 2-1-1 Day, Encourages Use to Navigate Community, Social and Health Services
  • HelpLine WORKS: Consumer Stories
  • HelpLine50
  • Home
  • In This Together
  • Join Our Mailing List
  • Mail or In-Kind Donation
  • Mental Health Awareness Month
  • Mission & Values
  • Nomination Form
  • Online Directory
  • Other Ways to Give
  • Our Services
  • Prevention Programs
  • QPR
  • Recurring Donation
  • SAAM
  • SecondaryTraumaRetreat
  • SOC Registration
  • SOC Training
  • SOS Advocacy
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Suicide Prevention Walk
  • Support HelpLine
  • Support the Levy
  • Survivor Stories
  • Thank Goodness I’m Female (TGIF)
  • The Red Flag Campaign
  • Training
  • Training & Prevention
  • Volunteer
  • Why Call HelpLine – Gallery
  • Board of Directors
  • HelpLine Team
  • Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN)
  • 2-1-1/Information and Referral (I&R)
  • Careers
  • Connections Volunteer Center
We are the go-to for supporting and empowering change in our community.
facebook
rss
twitter
youtube
email
  • Home
  • In Crisis? Need Help?
  • About Us
    • HelpLine Team
    • Careers
    • Agency Publications
    • HelpLine WORKS: Consumer Stories
    • Guardians for Good
      • Guardians for Good Award
    • HelpLine Brand Standards
  • Our Services
    • Crisis Services
      • 24-hour Crisis Hotline & Textline
      • Suicide Prevention – GET HELP
      • Crisis Engagement Coordination Program
      • Survivors of Suicide (SOS) Advocacy
      • Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN)
    • Community Resources
      • 2-1-1/Information & Referral
      • Online Directory
      • Connections Volunteer Center
    • Training & Prevention
      • Suicide Prevention
      • Violence Prevention
  • Volunteer
  • News
    • News
    • HelpLine Blog
    • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • DONATE
    • Guardians for Good
      • Guardians for Good Award

HelpLine Promotes the Importance of Believing Survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign in April

April 01, 2019
by HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow, Counties, Inc.
0 Comment

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

April 1, 2019        

HelpLine Promotes the Importance of Believing Survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign in April

Delaware, OH – This April, HelpLine will engage the broader community in its annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) campaign. In conjunction with this year’s national theme of “I Ask”, the HelpLine SARN team will focus on the sub-theme of “Start by Believing” – a global campaign founded by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) –  which focuses on changing how society responds to sexual assault disclosures, helping to improve the outcomes for survivors.

Start by Believing guides the response to sexual violence and “flips the script” on the message that survivors have historically received which at times has meant messages of doubt and blame, leading to feelings of  fear and shame. “It takes a lot of strength and courage for a survivor to confide to someone, whether that be a friend, family member, or another support person,” said Lauren MacDade, HelpLine Sexual Assault and Victim Services Director.” A positive, supportive reaction while being believed can have a lasting impact on the survivors healing, and can play a role in how and where they seek help and support moving forward.”

Affirming the theme, HelpLine, in cooperation and support of local community partners, will provide therapeutic events for survivors, families and friends to learn, connect and heal. Resources, opportunities to get involved, and awareness events will be available through the following programs:  

  • HelpLine Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN), Nourish to Flourish Survivor’s Workshop, Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. (note: location disclosed upon registration)
  • HelpLine SARN Volunteer Training in late April
  • Delaware County Coalition of Victim Services, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Friday, May 3, 6 p.m., downtown Delaware, Ohio

 

Additionally, HelpLine will feature 30-days of social media content on its Facebook and Twitter channels – @helplinedelmor – which will highlight resources, information and actions you can take in support of Start by Believing. 

In support of the month, the Village of Mount Gilead and City of Delaware will proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Months, while also recognizing the Day of Awareness  – bringing attention to the harassment and bullying faced by LGBTQ youth in schools. Proclamations will be presented during the regularly scheduled council proceedings:

  • City of Delaware, Monday, April 8, 7 p.m., 1 S. Sandusky St.
  • City of Upper Sandusky, Wednesday, April 10, 1 p.m., 119 N. 7th St.
  • Village of Mount Gilead, Monday, April 1, 7 p.m., 81 N. Rich St.

 

“We all have a unique role to play in sexual assault and violence prevention,” said MacDade. “Prevention is an opportunity to stop sexual violence before it happens. This means changing the social norms that allow it to exist in the first place, from individual attitudes, values, and behaviors to laws and institutions.”

MacDade continued by stating that knowing how to respond to survivors is critical because a negative response can worsen the trauma that a survivor experiences or keep survivors from seeking support, and fosters a culture that condones sexual violence, where perpetrators face no consequences for their crimes. Start by Believing stops this cycle of silence. By creating a culture of believing survivors, survivors feel supported, hopeful and will feel encouraged to seek support and healing.

In addition to SAAM, HelpLine leads a wide range of initiatives and services to support sexual assault survivors, mainly through its trauma-informed SARN program offered in Delaware, Morrow, Crawford and Wyandot counties. Available to all survivors, SARN offers healing workshops, one-one-one crisis Intervention and advocacy – regardless of when the assault occurred – and an annual retreat.  Additionally, trained SARN advocates are available to assist survivors at the hospital and with law enforcement immediately following an assault, and connects survivors to resources at HelpLine and in the broader community.

MacDade believes that prevention is everyone’s responsibility. “Together, we can intervene to stop concerning behavior, promote and model healthy attitudes and interaction, and believe survivors.”

To learn more about SAAM events, visit https://helplinedelmor.org/saam/. If you or someone you know has been sexually assault, contact SARN on the free, confidential 24-hour support, information, referral, and texting line at 1.800.684.2324 or text helpline to 898211. 

About HelpLine

As the community’s only 24/7 resource, we are the go-to for supporting and empowering change. Our highly trained specialists offer compassionate support to help meet the needs of anyone in crisis, connecting them with the right resources and empowering them to thrive. Our prevention programs address suicide and depression, sexual assault, child sexual abuse and family violence to influence change in our community. These programs are rooted in our relationships with local non-profits and agencies, giving us the connections and knowledge to get community members the support, education and volunteer opportunities they’re looking for.

HelpLine is a contract provider of the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and Partially funded by SourcePoint. A United Way Partner, HelpLine is accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, National Alliance of Information & Referral Systems and certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. For more information, visit: www.HelpLinedelmor.org.

Contact:

Tamika Vinson, Marketing and Development Director
HelpLine
P:  740.363.1835, ext. 305
F:  740.369.0358
E:  tvinson@helplinedelmor.org
W: helplinedelmor.org

Tweet
Pin It
About the Author
Social Share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

 

Connect Online

Need to talk? In crisis?

Call 740.369.3316 or 419.947.2520 or 1.800.684.2324, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to talk with a LIVE information and support specialist.
NEW! Text "helpline" to 898211 for help via text.*

Need Resources or Information? Call 2-1-1 or 800.684.2324 or search our free online database CLICK HERE TO SEARCH NOW!

*Standard msg & data rates may apply.Text STOP to opt-out. For end user privacy terms and conditions of texting with 898211, go to: www.preventionpaystext.com/policies. Powered by PreventionPays Text.

Search our site


Training & Events

Click to see training opportunities and upcoming events!

We want your feedback!

Complete a quick online Customer Service Satisfaction (CSS) survey HERE

Connecting our community…

The mission of HelpLine is connecting people to support, information & resources.Read about the work we do in our 2020 Annual Report - CLICK HERE
READ MORE FROM THE HELPLINE BLOG - CLICK HERE

Our Partners

  • sp logo
  • DCHA
  • Unitedway DelCo
  • Print
  • DSPC
  • Delaware County Foundation
  • AIRSAccLogo02
  • Women’s Fund of Central Ohio Logo – White Bckgrnd
©2021 HelpLine - All rights reserved.
24/7 LIVE Crisis Hotline: 740.369.3316 or 419.947.2520 or 1.800.684.2324