Rosie Enyart, Lead Counselor for The Center, met with girls to help them develop a project about gender issues and sexual assault. After learning that during a hospital exam victims of sexual assault must surrender their clothing for inclusion in the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kit, the girls were curious about what victims would wear home from the hospital.
Often victims are given donated clothing from the emergency room, whatever they may have on hand. This inspired the Gender Inequality Group to create a clothing drive within the St. Luke’s School community, asking for gently used clothing, as well as direct financial contributions to purchase new undergarments and toiletries. Their plan was to create care packages for The Center’s Hotline Volunteers to bring to sexual assault victims on their hospital visits.
The Gender Inequality Group and their advisor returned to The Center shortly thereafter with 26 colorful gift bags filled with clean, comfortable clothing, sorted into outfits in various sizes, and included undergarments, toiletries and a notecard with a heart drawn on the envelope. The staff and hotline volunteers were immeasurably touched by the kindness and thoughtfulness of the donations
In the last year, The Center has responded to 180 hotline calls, made dozens of hospital visits, and provided abuse and assault prevention education to over 17,000 students.
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