Why Do We Exist? The Importance of Non-Profts
- The Center For Sexual Assault Survivors
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
In honor of National Non-Profit Awareness Day (August 17th), let's take a moment to acknowledge the work and importance of non-profits like The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors. There are millions of non-profits that exist with millions of different missions. More often than we may like to admit non-profits are usually at the forefront for change. We are not and cannot speak for all non-profits, but we can speak to the experience as a non-profit organization geared toward helping victims/survivors of sexual assault to the best of our ability.
While there are millions of non-profits that does not mean that the development of a non-profit is easy or simple. There has to be a mission development, needs assessment, legal structure, proper license and permits etc. Those are only a few of the necessary steps in the development of a non-profit but even within our day to day everyone here at The Center is continuously working to ensure our mission, "The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to creating a world that is free from sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. All of our services are FREE & Confidential to all." So why are we important?
In this blog post hundreds of reasons could be stated but rather than listing all of those a simple, yet effective reason is the creation of accessible resources that could potentially save lives while creating safe spaces. While our hope and mission is to aid in the creation of a world free from sexual violence, as of right now unfortunately, in our world sexual violence still exists and is leaving people and families broken. Providing free 1 on 1 confidential counseling could make all the difference in a victim becoming a survivor. Having a 24/7 hotline can offer comfort to a parent in the middle of the night, especially as they navigate the challenges of becoming part of a community facing a difficult and often isolating experience. Finding out that there are resources to help their child can help in providing some direction for the next steps available to them. For a person to experience such a traumatic event like sexual violence and be left to feel fearful, hopeless, and/or potentially lonely; to have a victim advocate accompanying them to the court room or the hospital could make all the difference for victim/survivor. A victim/survivor being able to attend a women's or men's support group could make such a difference in a person being able to even say what they have experienced sexual violence out loud. Providing community education on consent, sexual violence or even the neurobiological effects of trauma can create conversations that could educate people on how to treat one another or how to be a support.
While millions of non-profits exist, having accessible resources available to community members regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexuality or socio-economic class is important and necessary. The access to those resources could be life or death for a person. So, while August 17th is National Non- Profit Awareness Day, our services are always here. Our 24/7 hotline is always ready to answer that call and provide as many resources as possible. Hopefully this blog post not only raises awareness of our importance but gets shared so that we can continue to be a resource for victims/survivors of sexual violence and their families. "Because Sexual Assault Effects Us All."
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