Domestic physical and sexual abuse is a prominent issue that many people face. Although we wish it wasn’t a need for programs to support this, we are glad that programs like SPARCC exist. SPARCC stands for Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center. Their mission is to provide help, hope and healing with empowerment-based services and programs. I first found out about SPARCC at a luncheon and hearing the stories of survivors who have received help from SPARCC. After that first luncheon, I knew I needed to learn and do more.

Not only do they wish to be there and support anyone undergoing this trauma, but they want to prevent it and educate people on it as well. In addition to serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, SPARCC is actively engaged in promoting social change through community awareness and education in an effort to prevent violence in the future. 

They are most known for their 24-hour crisis helpline but also offer a wide array of services such as counseling, hospital and courthouse accompaniment, legal services, support groups, empowerment programs and community education all of which are free of charge to the victims. Another special aspect of this organization is that everything is confidential. The victim does not need to get legal parties involved and can get the help that best suits them & that they are the most comfortable with. 

SPARCC’s website contains a lot of educational information that everyone should view. It contains readings that deal with understanding domestic violence, understanding sexual violence, teen dating violence, and also extremely important warning signs to be on the lookout for. Our friends or family could be going through this right now and need our help. By being informed on the warning signs and reading up on how to help them, you can potentially assist them in getting out of their harmful situation. All of these things can be found at https://www.sparcc.net/get-involved/learn-the-facts/. 

If you are like me and wondering how you can help, there are plenty of ways to do so. The most common way being a monetary donation to the organization. Other ways of helping include volunteering, donating clothes to their Treasure Chest thrift store, or donating a variety of items that are on their wish list featured on their website. With everyone's help, we can make a huge difference in supporting survivors and putting an end to domestic abuse entirely. It’s a big goal, but it is the only way. Thank you for tuning in!