| One out of every seven adult women in Illinois has been raped in her lifetime. For 35 years, Rape Victim Advocates (RVA) has been providing essential services to support survivors and end sexual violence – serving over 1,000 survivors each year. Your support will help us continue meeting the needs of the women, children and men who seek our services every day.
Here are ten reasons why your gift will go a long way toward ensuring that survivors of sexual violence receive the support they need and making our communities safer.
1. Your support ensures all our services are free of charge. RVA does not charge any of our clients for our 24-hour crisis response, medical and legal advocacy, counseling or violence prevention education services.
2. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 356 days a year. Our dedicated, compassionate and well-trained staff and volunteers stand ready to provide necessary crisis intervention in hospitals across Chicago.
3. We provide more medical advocacy services than any other rape crisis center in Chicago. RVA offers our crisis intervention and medical advocacy services in 12 hospitals, twice as many as any other rape crisis center.
4. "RVA saved my life. I am so glad that I was open to counseling." Throughout their journey of healing—in the immediate aftermath or years after the sexual assault—survivors can seek services from RVA that can positively change their lives including medical and legal advocacy as well as counseling.
5. We provide services beyond the four walls of our offices. We are in schools, churches, and community centers almost every day of the week offering education to end sexual violence that reach thousands each year. For example, this year RVA engaged in an unprecedented partnership with 12 churches in Chicago’s Austin community to offer coordinated sermons on how we can work together as a community to end rape.
6. Our offices are at the heart of the communities we serve. Through our offices in Austin and at Stroger/Cook County Hospital, RVA reaches a diverse group of survivors in underserved communities.
7. We collaborate and advocate with institutions that impact the care of survivors. Our work to change attitudes through professional training reached 736 police officers, state’s attorneys, and medical professionals last year.
8. We are a leader in the field of rape crisis work. We work with local organizations such as the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Human Rights Watch to improve the systemic and societal response to rape.
9. 35 years of supporting survivors and advocating for change. Since 1974, RVA has provided advocacy and counseling services to more than 26,000 women, men and children as well as prevention education and professional training to more than 55,000 youth, medical professionals, police officers, faith leaders, teachers and other community members and direct service providers.
10. One of the best reasons to give is that your gift will make even more of a difference this year. The generosity of donors helps ensure RVA’s continued success, especially during these challenging economic times.
With gratitude,
Sharmili Majmudar, Executive Director
Your contribution to RVA will have a positive impact on thousands of people in the next year. Please make a gift today! |
