April is Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month
“You showed me hope in the world at a young, vulnerable age. I was not just another case or file. I was important to you as a child who needed love and you did just that. You gave me hope that any child walking through your doors will be taken care of. You inspired me to keep going.”
These words were shared with me in a letter from a former Julie Valentine center client who walked through our doors a terrified child many years ago. Today she is pursuing her dreams in college, raising her children in abuse free home, and living the life she was intended to live. She is not only surviving but thriving. Her words spoke to me in a very powerful way.
“You gave me hope that any child walking through your doors will be taken care of.”
That’s exactly what drives our passion to do what we do every day at Julie Valentine Center. We want everyone who walks through our doors, who calls our hotline, who arrives at the emergency room, who reaches out through our online support services to feel supported and “taken care of.” We want survivors to know that they are not alone and that there is hope after abuse and assault. We served over 2400 hundred individuals in 2021. We have already been to the emergency room with sexual assault victims 20 more times than this same time last year. We have provided Child Advocacy services to 337 children and their families so far this year. Behind each of those numbers is a child, a mother, a sibling, a father, a partner, a friend.
April is Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This is an entire month dedicated to raising awareness about these issues that are often misunderstood and difficult to talk about. Although we celebrate these issues during April, we strive to raise awareness and educate about child abuse and sexual assault every day of the year. We know that education and awareness not only prevents child abuse and sexual assault, but helps those who have already been impacted by these crimes to receive the hope, help, and support that they need.
Everyone has a role in ending child abuse and sexual assault. Know the facts and challenge the myths that surround these issues. Believe survivors. Support Julie Valentine Center as a volunteer and/ or a donor. We know that together we can be the change that we want to see in our community.
Thank you for your continued support of Julie Valentine Center during April and every month of the year.
With gratitude, Shauna Galloway-Williams, CEO
Julie Valentine Center Run2Overcome History
One Sunday morning, June 8, 2008, a 19 year old woman was jogging in and around her neighborhood, just like most mornings. An unknown man sprang from the bushes, knocking this young jogger down an embankment. She fought back, but she was no match for her assailant. He sexually assaulted and severely beat her. This young woman required much more than The State Office of Victim's Assistance (SOVA) could provide; her community sprang to action, organizing a charity 5k to help with her mounting expenses.
It is now 2022 and her external wounds have healed. She no longer needs the financial help that her community stepped up to offer, but unfortunately there are others that do. The former 5k has evolved into a 5k and 10k and now benefits the Julie Valentine Center, so that they are able to assist others who have experienced sexual assault. Imagine yourself in the shoes of an innocent child who is being abused. Imagine the confusion and anger you feel. Imagine wondering if your home is safe. Imagine thinking there's nowhere left to turn, and then you discover a place that can help.
Now imagine you are not alone. As an abused child, spouse or sexual assault victim, you meet others just like you who overcame the unspeakable things that happened. That's exactly why the Julie Valentine Center is here, to help people in your shoes. The inspiration for the team at Julie Valentine Center comes from an infant who was found deceased in a wooded area in Greenville on a cold February day in 1990. The police, so touched by the tragedy, named her Julie Valentine. Adopted by the community, her legacy has become a symbol of hope for those who have survived rape or child abuse.
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