ABOUT US
Our Mission
To empower sexual assault survivors though the establishment of safe environments for support, advocacy and creative expression. Advocacy: Using a multidisciplinary approach, we work to address the root causes of sexual violence by dismantling stereotypes and erodingcultural attitudes and practices that perpetuates the culture of sexual violence through the use of awareness campaigns, educational resources and collaboration, as well as utilizing the legislative process to ensure the criminal justice system, medical community and advocacy groups have the tools and funding required to provide appropriate compassionate care, to properly investigate and prosecute sexual violence crimes, and to support survivors and their families with the mental health, addiction and other supportive services needed. Empowerment: By providing space, training and resources, we work to provide survivors the tools and opportunities to find their voice, speak their truth and support other survivors through activism and creativity. OUR FOUNDERS STORY My name is Greta McClain, and I am a sexual assault survivor. Before health issues forced me to leave the profession I loved, I was a police officer for 12 years. I had the training and instinct to react instead of freezing when I was attacked. I fought back, but I could not prevent my attacker from raping me. I was able to prevent him from following through on his promise to kill me and “put me out of my misery,” but there are times I wish I hadn’t. I was badly battered physically. My right eye was severely bruised and nearly swollen shut. I had bruises and swelling on both wrists and arms, and cuts, scrapes and “road rash.” I also had bruises on my thighs and scratches and bleeding in my vaginal area. I was also badly battered emotionally. During my 12 years in law enforcement, I had proven I could take care of myself, but despite my best efforts I could not protect myself from this predator. I was ashamed I could not protect myself or somehow sense the attack was coming. I blamed myself for the rape, because in my mind I had let the rape happen. I was also absolutely terrified no one would believe me. Even with all my injuries I felt others would blame me or think I was making it up. It had never occurred to me that a police officer, even a former officer, could be raped. If I didn’t think it could happen to me, why would anyone else? The physical wounds healed, but the emotional wounds continued to fester. I felt so ashamed, and I lost all sense of self-worth and hope. I prayed every night God would take my life and end my suffering. I cried every morning wondering how I was going to get through another day. I lost hope that God would make the pain go away. I began writing goodbye letters after deciding exactly how I would end my life. One evening I was struggling with the last letter I needed to write. I decided to take a break and logged onto Facebook. I kept seeing this strange little hashtag that said #MeToo and began trying to figure out what it meant. It was then that God answered my prayer. It was then that I began to see some glimmer of hope. Seeing so many friends and even perfect strangers have the courage to say #MeToo made me realize I was not alone in my pain. It also made me realize if they could survive the pain and find hope again, maybe I could, too. It gave me hope, healing and the strength to share my story and try to help others. This is why I am so passionate about helping sexual violence survivors. |
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