Sexual abuse can and does happen to people -- regardless of what they choose to wear, how they act, or where they decide to go. However, Family Crisis Services in Cañon City has a long-held hope that education and awareness can reduce the number of abuse cases in Fremont and Custer counties.
In honor of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the center will host a special event on April 18 in hopes of fighting sexual abuse. Although Tuesday was technically the National Day of Action in relation to sexual assault, the center plans to advocate both for victims and potential victims throughout the month of April.
"One of the things we just love to do is let our community know that the resources [for help] are here," said Family Crisis Center Outreach and Education Coordinator Sarah Fisher.
Fisher and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Crystal Sumpter want to not only educate the community on the dangers of sexual assault but also to provide them an avenue to healing.
"The sex assault awareness piece is great for the month [of April] but it's kind of a cliffhanger if they [the community] don't know what to do with that information," Fisher said.
Though it may seem self-explanatory, sexual assault is defined as sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the victim. Additionally, any person who knowingly inflicts sexual intrusion or sexual penetration on a victim commits sexual assault.
Family Crisis Center offers services that victims can utilize throughout their healing journey -- beginning with the initial, often traumatizing, event.
"It can be something like the crisis of the moment and we can meet them [the victim] where they're at and, in the moment of crisis ... we can conduct crisis counseling," Sumpter said. "Then we provide services such advocacy where we walk them through a criminal case, we also provide advocacy on the civil side of things."
The center also provides sexual assault peer counseling, therapy, safety planning, and even provides emergency shelter for those in imminent danger.
The center works closely with a variety of community partners to protect and support victims of sexual assault including Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners at St. Thomas More Hospital, various law enforcement agencies, such as the Cañon City Police Department and the Fremont County Sheriff's Department, and the District Attorney's Office.
In 2023, the center served a total of 290 clients, provided 2002 nights of shelter, and answered 1,196 calls on the 24-hour emergency hotline.
"Our numbers are growing all the time, our numbers for this year are already pretty strong," Fisher said. "The goal is to get a good flow for the client so they can have all of the services they need available to them."
Services at the center are both free and confidential -- dual aspects of the organization that can support victims.
"People can come here knowing that, even in a small town, their situation, their name, is going to be confidential," Fisher said.
On Tuesday, Family Crisis Services spent time at GOAL Academy in Cañon City, where they spent time educating students on the true meaning of consent, red and green flags regarding sexual assault, etc.
The big event hosted by the center will be Take Back the Night, slated for 5-7 p.m. April 18 at Veterans Park. Take Back the Night is celebrated on April 18 throughout the country and Cañon City's event will feature food trucks, live self-defense demonstrations by Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Uncaged Today.
In an effort to tailor the experience to Fremont County residents, organizers hope to present local speakers at the event.
"We plan to have everyday heroes. People who have walked the walk from our community," Fisher said. "It really gives us a chance to highlight ordinary people that are showing us what survival looks like and that the story doesn't end with assault."
Although it's not a formally organized event by the center, April 24 is the National Day of Denim -- where everyday citizens are encouraged to wear blue jeans to acknowledge that people deserve to be safe from sexual assault, regardless of what a person chooses to wear.
Family Crisis Services hotline is available 24/7 at 719-275-2429 and the National Sexual Assault Hotline is also available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673.
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