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April Is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Susan Staples

The month of April is dedicated to increasing community awareness around sexual assault, which includes education, prevention and supportive services for survivors.

Did You Know? Sexual assault is any kind of sexual activity that is unwanted, enacted by one person on another without consent — it may include the use of physical force (but many sexual assaults do not), and it involves some combination of coercion, threats and intimidation. 

Did You Know? Women, girls, men and boys, of all ages and backgrounds, can be victims of sexual assault.  In Massachusetts, statistics show that adolescent and adult sexual assault is happening at …7,645 per year, 637 per month, 21 per day, 1 per hour! U.S. Bureau of  Census, Mass. population projections, 1999.

Did You Know? The YWCA has been providing free sexual assault services to the Greater Lawrence community since 1995, including:


* 24 hour hotline (1-877-509-YWCA)
* 1:1 counseling
* Support groups
* Legal/medical advocacy
*Prevention/education programs.

Did You Know? Last year the YWCA provided ser-vices to 147 sexual assault victims and 1057 victims of domes-tic violence.  Court advocates assisted 1,110 victims in obtaining restraining orders.  The Youth Education program educated 3,889 teens on healthy relation-ships and presented 165 community workshops to raise awareness about sexual assault. 

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month

April is also dedicated to appreciating volunteers.  Non-profit agencies, including the YWCA, are able to give so much to the community because of the hard work of volunteers!

Hotline volun-teers are certified sexual assault counselors who listen, offer sup-port and provide crisis information/referrals to sur-vivors and their families.

On behalf of the YWCA staff, and the survivors that they have support-ed, we would like to recognize four volunteers who have been volun-teering with the Sexual Assault Program for over four years! We are grateful for the dedication and the compassion that these women, and all our volunteers, share with our community.  We could not do this important work without you all!

In their own words: Evelyn Guzman-Hoogvliets:  I have been a nurse for 13 years and I am attending Northern Essex community college to become a RN. I have been a volunteer since 2001 and have learned many things which have allowed me to better care for my patients. As a nurse I am an advocate for patients, but as a volunteer I am an advocate for sexual assault and rape victims. My mission is to empower women with knowledge and understanding that it is not their fault and that there are people in this world who care for them.

Linda Johnson: I was born and raised in Lawrence and now live in the house my grandfather built.  I am firmly rooted and committed to my community.  As I grew up, I discovered that my passion was my love for family and people and I have always been open and flexible to learn something from everyone I meet. The volunteer training I received has enriched my understanding of the needs of women in the community and allowed me to better serve them.  I feel honored to be chosen and recognized by the Sexual Assault Volunteer Program.

Maricelis Ortiz: Volunteering for the YWCA Sexual Assault hotline has been a wonderful experience for me.  I have dedicated my life to working with children and for me volunteering on the hotline is a way that I can give back to adults. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you can make a difference in people’s lives just by listening to what they have to say. All they want is someone to talk to or vent to about their feelings during that horrible time in their life.

Helen Torres Rodriquez: As a child I attended several activities at the YWCA.  It was always a place that represented community and structure for me. I felt a connection to the YWCA and volunteering seemed to be an appropriate way of helping the community.  

I continue to be involved because I see the difficulties that Merrimack Valley residents have when faced with sexual assault issues. I feel that what I provide is a small portion compared to the courage it takes for victims and caregivers to contact us and get the assistance they need. 

Greater Lawrence Men Against Violence: Another important partnership of the YWCA includes working with men committed to ending violence against women.  This group of men has joined the White Ribbon Campaign, which is the largest effort in the world of men working to end men’s violence against women.  Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge never to commit, condone, nor remain silent about violence against women. For more information, contact Andy Polanco at 978-687-0331 ext 1036.

How can you get involved in raising awareness around Sexual Assault Prevention?

The YWCA is always seeking new community partners to join us in building a safe, healthy community.  Here are some ways YOU can get involved in this work:

* Teal is the official color representing Sexual Assault Awareness.  Please stop by the YWCA and pick up a ribbon to show your support towards ending sexual assault.

* The community is invited to a workshop on April 20th, at noon, designed to raise awareness about sexual assault.
* Contact the YWCA to find out how you can become a certified sexual assault counselor and join our team!

To learn more about the YWCA’s services/programs, call (978) 687-0331, or visit www.ywcalawrence.orgt.

 *Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The March, 2006 Edition of the Valley Patriot
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