UMD community members create fundraiser to support sexual violence survivors

By Deja Jones

For The Diamondback

Content warning: This story contains mentions of sexual assault.

The University of Maryland’s CARE to Stop Violence office is rallying students, faculty and staff to participate in a new fundraiser to support survivors of sexual and relationship violence.

For Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the office is working with University of Maryland Police, this university’s Student Government Association and Adventist HealthCare to collect and distribute comfort items, such as blankets and gift cards, to survivors.

The items — which are being collected through April 16 — can offer both practical and emotional support during what can be an incredibly challenging time, according to Grace Fansler Boudreau, the office’s outreach coordinator. CARE has already collected more than 50 blankets, she said.

“The idea of having a cozy, soft blanket, and not the standard hospital blanket during that time, can provide a little bit of comfort,” Boudreau said. “For the gift cards … it can be really helpful to know where your next meal is coming from.”

This is the first year CARE has organized a fundraiser like this, Boudreau said.

Fundraisers like this help strengthen the university’s existing relationships with local hospitals, which provide forensic exams for sexual assault survivors, she said.

[UMD students support sexual assault survivors with semiannual Clothesline Project]

“Survivors may not know where to get help or how to navigate help-seeking systems,” Boudreau said. “We’re able to help survivors navigate the resources available to them, both on and off campus.”

The impact of the fundraiser extends beyond this university’s campus, said Christina Jay, an advocacy and therapy coordinator with CARE.

“Community resources do lots of different things, but specifically, we know how important the hospitals are in a survivor’s journey,” Jay said. “Whether they decide to report or not, seeking medical care is just very important.”

CARE’s services — which include advocacy and therapy — provide critical support for students, according to Jay.

UMPD works closely with CARE to support survivors, UMPD Capt. August Kenner said. The department focuses on raising awareness and offering resources, she said.

Although UMPD is not directly involved in the fundraiser, the department is encouraging the campus community to donate blankets and gift cards.

This fundraiser is a part of CARE’s broader effort to raise awareness and challenge misconceptions about sexual and relationship violence. A priority of Jay’s is ensuring that safe spaces are created for survivors to address their trauma.

“The biggest misconception is that there’s a right way and a wrong way to respond to a trauma,” Jay said. “I think education on trauma responses is very important, and also embracing the idea that there’s no right or wrong way to respond to a trauma.”

The office planned several other events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including their semiannual Clothesline Project, Take Back the Night and Denim Day, which will take place on April 30.