(Seguin) — April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and a local non-profit organization is doing its part to offer support to victims and to help remove some of the misconceptions about these cases.
Representatives from the Thriving Hearts Crisis Center will be our guests on this weekend’s edition of the Saturday Topic program on radio station KWED.
Thriving Hearts CEO Jana Evans and Director of Strategic Advancement Bonnie Ramirez share details about their efforts to raise awareness about sexual assaults. Ramirez says no community is immune to these crimes.
“The raw reality is that it happens. It happens right here in our own very communities. We are not immune to it. It doesn’t just happen in your big metro cities like Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas. We wouldn’t exist here if there wasn’t a need for us. We exist because there was a need for it and there is still a need for us to provide the services that we do for sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking survivors. So, it happens right here in Guadalupe County, Karnes, Wilson, (and) Gonzales counties,” said Ramirez.
Thriving Hearts is hosting a Denim Day event as part of this month’s designation as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Ramirez says the community is invited to attend the event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, in Central Park.
“Denim Day is very important and very special for us. It’s a call of action for survivors to be believed, to be listened to, and again to also clarify those misconceptions and educate people about the statistics and encourage them to report rape and let them know they are not alone and there’s help out there. People like us from Thriving Hearts Crisis Center, we exist for this very reason,” said Ramirez.
In addition to Denim Day, the organization is also working with governmental entities across the area to make sure that this special month doesn’t go unnoticed by the public.
“We do have proclamations that counties and cities are doing. What that basically is, the counties and different cities…that we serve, they will proclaim April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Anybody is invited to attend that. We do ask that if you come, please stand up with us when we take photos with dignitaries…and wear teal or wear denim,” said Ramirez.
Evans and Ramirez will also talk about the important work being done by the Thriving Hearts Crisis Center on a daily basis. People sometimes still call them the women’s shelter, but Evans says the services they offer go well beyond that.
“At Thriving Hearts Crisis Center, we believe safety is something every person deserves, and our community plays a vital role in making that possible. So, we serve survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across Guadalupe, Gonzales, Karnes, and Wilson counties. We provide 24/7 crisis support, emergency shelter, advocacy, and counseling. Our role is to ensure that when someone reaches out for help, they’re met with immediate support, safety, and a path forward. Those are all free and confidential services. So, we’re here to support our community to make sure that it’s safer for everyone,” said Evans.
You can hear our full conversation with Evans and Ramirez on the Saturday Topic program. The show airs at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on AM 1580 KWED and streaming live online at seguintoday.com. You can also listen live to the radio station on any Alexa-enabled device by saying, “Alexa, play KWED Radio.”