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“Two years ago I turned to RAINN for help and advice and it made all the difference in my life… I owe my life to RAINN.”
- A 16-year old girl who was raped by her best friend’s brother

When I think of the month of May it brings images of beautiful Spring skies and flowers. During this time of year the weather is generally the most peaceful and inspiring, and conjures some of my favorite memories. There seems to be a nostalgic smell in the air of an entire lifetime of childlike frolicking and feelings of love. Spring is easily my favorite season of all. There are many reasons for my overwhelming enthusiasm towards Spring, one of the most important reasons is Spring’s representation of rebirth. This is a time when Mother Nature is replenishing herself and cultures all over the globe celebrate fertility rites.

During this month of fresh starts and new directions, I would like to pay homage to an amazing organization that has helped millions of women and men take a step toward rebirth. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, known as RAINN, is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. We have Scott Berkowitz, founder & president of RAINN, to thank for this group that has had a profoundly staggering healing effect on the lives of millions.

“A very close friend of mine has really found a lot of comfort in your organization and speaks so highly of you… The hope you have given my friend is alive in every smile, something I haven’t seen in a while.”
- Friend of a hotline caller

• The National Sexual Assault Hotline helps about 400 victims each day.
• RAINN has been selected as one of “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth Magazine
• RAINN led prevention and public policy efforts that contributed to a record 50% decline in sexual violence.
• All services are free, confidential, and available 24/7

Since it’s inception in 1994, RAINN has developed enormous celebrity support – among them is co-founder and super star Tori Amos.  From the very beginning of her career Tori Amos has made no secret of her personal experience with sexual assault.  It is her fearless ability to speak about this horrifying epidemic that has put her on the map as one the worlds leading spokespersons for this crippling act of violence. During an interview Tori was quoted as saying, “Frankly, as a woman, and as a woman who wrote ‘Silent All These Years’ (a song about rape that appeared on 1992’s Little Earthquakes), I needed to stand up,” Amos explained. “It seemed to me that, sometimes, the material wanted to be overtly political. Sometimes the material wanted to be cheeky and seductive. Sometimes it wanted to be heartbreaking and deal with the inner world of women.”

Below is a letter written by Tori to inform people of the service that RAINN offers to anyone who needs it.

Dear Friends,
For the last two years, I’ve sung “Me and a Gun” at every concert as a way of healing the place inside myself that has been hurt, enraged, and numbed by violence. For many years, I shut down that place inside myself that needed to rage, cry, ask questions, and basically just express herself. I made a conscious choice when I put “Me and a Gun” on the record not to stay a victim anymore. You see, I was still a victim in my own mind from an experience that had happened a long time ago: I was still torturing myself. Passion, joy, and love were not things I felt I could have or deserved anymore. I’ve been encouraged by wise ones, who taught me how to develop inner tools where I can understand these scared places in my being. It took me many years to make the decision to deal with this, but a bitter woman was what I was becoming and when I was young I always saw myself as a passionate woman. I would say, “Well, she’s dead.” And the wise ones said, “It’s your choice, Tori, if you want to bring her back to life, you can. She’s only been sleeping-alone, in a very dark corner. It’s your choice and there is help out there.” I received a letter from a 13-year old girl in Paris whose stepfather has been molesting her for years. She wrote: “If I had known a phone number which would have been able to help me, I certainly would have dialed it. So, we can’t go on being blind and dumb: You don’t have to put the message with the help phone number out now. Maybe you’ll never do it, because of different reasons. You won’t be to blame for it. But, I want you to never forget that every day someone loses their dignity.”

Healing takes courage and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.

Love & Support,
Tori Amos

Tori has blessed millions of people worldwide with the courage and strength she portrays through her music. RAINN is just another tool she has developed for helping anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, to help them find that voice inside themselves that has been silenced by fear and senseless shame.
To purchase albums by Tori Amos please visit the iTunes Store at:
http://shop.rainn.org/shop/index/0/23/49/tori-amos-itunes

For more information regarding Tori Amos and RAINN click on one of the links below:
http://www.welcometobarbados.org
http://everythingtori.com
http://www.tennysoncenter.org
http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com
http://www.911rape.org
http://www.darknesstolight.org

RAINN was also founded thanks to the generous contributions of Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group, then part of Time Warner. Those music connections helped them build RAINN into a nationally known charity very quickly, despite their tiny budget, and introduced the hotline to millions of Americans.
The vital partners in all of their work have been the nation’s local rape crisis centers. At their launch in 1994, 347 local centers affiliated with RAINN to provide services to victims. Today they have over 1,109 local partners. Not to mention the star studded lineup of support from celebrities in every category of entertainment such as: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Rachel Bilson, Kenneth Cole, Sarah McLachlan, R.E.M. & Bertis Downs, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim Roth, Mariska Hargitay, Hootie & The Blowfish, Calvin Klein, Steve Madden, Christina Ricci, David Schwimmer, Kevin Smith….to name a few.
Collectively, tens of thousands of volunteers and crisis center staff have teamed up to help callers to the National Sexual Assault Hotline. Every day and night, these dedicated people sit with victims through invasive emergency room exams; they listen to the anguished voices of callers and find a way to provide solace and support; and they coach the families and victims on playing a positive role in the recovery process.

If you would like to become involved as a volunteer or sponsor, there are many different options available. To name just a few:

• Volunteer to work the hotline.
• Become a corporate sponsor.
• Join the Fashion For RAINN Campaign by:
• Donating advertising space.
• Be photographed in an advertisement.
• Host a Fashion For RAINN Exhibition
• Contribute to the production of Fashion For RAINN displays & editorials as a writer, photographer, creative producer, crew member, stylist, marketer, or advertiser.
• Host a charity event.
• Make simple donations through everyday online shopping at http://shop.rainn.org
• Donate your time to local crisis centers.

If you find yourself in a situation where a loved one has been affected by sexual abuse and he/she has come to you for help, you can direct them to the RAINN hotline which is 1-800-656-HOPE or send to them the RAINN website at www.rainn.org
Of course you can also help by simply being a shoulder to lean on. This can be a very heavy burden to bare, but each one of us needs a close friend or family member to lean on from time to time.

“I am forever indebted to RAINN for giving me the strength and courage to move forward in my life.”
-Anonymous hotline caller

“I just want to thank you on behalf of all victims for the work that you are doing. I can’t begin to tell you how much RAINN has helped me. Keep up the wonderful work. You are angels, and I hope God blesses you.”
-Letter from a caller to the National Sexual Assault Hotline

Along with Earth Day and Autism Awareness, April has also been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) – an often overlooked and difficult topic to broach. The goal of SAAM is to raise public awareness about sexual violence (with an emphasis on sexual assault and rape) and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent its occurrence.

The focus of this year’s SAAM campaign is centered on reaching people in their workplaces. The “Respect Works” campaign is ultimately about moving beyond the victim – or perpetrator – based view of sexual violence and looking to the larger environment in which sexually violent acts happen. This includes relationships, organizations and communities.

Whether at home, work or school, healthy relationships are based on consideration and respect. When we care about others and the world around us, we have a responsibility to be involved and help out when others are in harm’s way. This is the essence of promoting social change that can result in less sexually violent behavior.

The 2009 SAAM Day of Action is Wednesday, April 8. You can join people all over the country and the world by planning an awareness event within your community on or around this date.

We have created a quick reference guide to help you find events in your area and ways to participate as an organizer in the campaign against sexual assault.

Respect Works
The SAAM website brings us the “Respect Works” campaign. Which is an opportunity for you to build partnerships with local employers, as well as a way to convey a message to the public about respectful and responsible behavior.

Some of the campaign materials, like the palm card and Featured Event Workshop, have messages about respect and responsibility that apply to any setting, not just a work environment. This campaign also includes materials specifically designed for the workplace, like the Workplace Outreach Guide, Employer Checklist, and fact sheet. All the messages are aimed at encouraging individuals, wherever they work or live, to build respectful relationships and take responsibility for creating a safer world!

Shop In
Use social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to organize a “Shop In” against Sexual assault. Send messages to everyone on your contact lists and ask them to ”Log On and Shop In” by simply clicking this link: http://nonprofitshoppingmall.com/shop/index/0/23 and purchasing one or more items from any of the listed retailers. A percentage of every purchase will go to the nonprofit group: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). * If 100 people each spent $25 – buying things they already need or want – (with an average of 4% of the sale earmarked for RAINN) that would raise $100 to help fight sexual abuse right here in America.

Letter-Writing Campaign
Some organizations can take part in political advocacy during
SAAM by writing letters to local, state, territory, tribal, or other government officials about policies related to sexual violence that effect your community. Click here for sample letters to elected officials.

Denim Day
Denim Day is an international protest in response to the Italian
Supreme Court’s overruling of a rape conviction in 1999, wherein an Italian woman was raped, her assailant tried and found guilty. The Supreme Court later overturned the ruling, using the logic that jeans are so difficult to remove; the assailant could not have done so without the victim’s help.

To honor Denim Day, people are encouraged to wear jeans to work or school in order to promote awareness. Your organization can also print stickers or buttons with Denim Day slogans on them, to encourage people to ask, “What is Denim Day?” To make this event successful, effective promotion is the key. Your organization should publicize this event to as many businesses and schools as possible. Information about sexual assault should be sent out with the information about Denim Day. Peace Over Violence (formerly Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women) sponsors a Denim Day in LA campaign with various related resources. Click here for more information.

Bookstore and Library Displays & Readings
Approach local bookstores and libraries about setting up displays of books related to sexual assault with a SAAM flyer and your program’s information. Organize a book or poetry reading about sexual assault and healing. Click here for a list of suggested books.

Speak Out
This type of event creates a safe space for survivors of all forms of sexual violence to “speak out” about their experience, recovery, and healing. Choose a fairly quiet location for your event and ensure that local rape crisis center professionals are involved in the event’s organization.

V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of “The Vagina Monologues” to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities. The V-Day website (www.vday.org) provides information on holding a Vagina Monologues event in your community or at your college or university. V-Day events often occur during the month of April, but also take place throughout the calendar year. For event information in your area click here.

Run/Walk
Many social and health causes have started annual walk or run events to raise money and awareness about their issue. If your organization has the resources to plan and hold a walk for sexual violence awareness and prevention, this is a great option.

If you have limited time and resources, consider reaching out to other organizations in your area that are holding walks and runs during April and form a team to represent the anti-sexual violence movement. Have matching teal t-shirts made and make sure to bring materials about sexual violence to distribute to other participants.

2009 National Sexual Assault Conference
The National Sexual Assault Conference is a two-and-a-half-day, advocacy-based conference providing advanced training opportunities and information regarding sexual violence intervention and prevention. This year’s theme is Mentoring Our Movement and will be held in Alexandria, Virginia from September 9-11, 2009. This conference will provide a forum for dialogue on sexual violence prevention and intervention as well as offering advanced training and professional growth opportunities. For more conference information click here.

For more ideas and tools to help raise awareness and organize an activity in YOUR community go to: http://www.nsvrc.org/saam.