Assistance League’s Assault Survivor Kits Comfort Clients

Prior to the March 13, Assistance® League Diablo Valley Regular Meeting, Assault Survivor Kits Co-Chair Vera Brasswell introduced Cynthia Peterson, Executive Director of Community Violence Solutions, who informed attending chapter members of seven programs that serve Contra Costa County clients.

The Rape Crisis Center is staffed with trained volunteer Sexual Assault counselors, who respond to as many as 10,000 calls annually. Likewise, a Sexual Assault Response Team collaborates with law enforcement and hospitals to increase sensitivity to victims undergoing a four-hour medical exam to collect evidence for a successful prosecution.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Project offers a twenty-four-hour confidential emergency response line, while a Children’s Interview Center offers collaborative projects with Contra Costa County to reduce trauma. Likewise, the Child Welfare Design Program serves at-risk families, while the Hope Therapy Services offer psychotherapy for children, teens, adults and family members of sexual assault and trafficking survivors in Contra Costa and Marin Counties.

Ms. Peterson mentioned that the program’s preventative services offer workshops for youths at school sites in an interactive classroom format and conduct mirror interviews for emerging survivors. She then thanked Assistance League Diablo Valley’s Assault Survivor Kits Program, which will donate 250 kits this year, for its profound impact on its clients.

To learn about Assistance League’s 15 other hands-on programs, all of which are funded by its Thrift Shop, in Lafayette, please visit: assistanceleague.org/diablo-valley.