April marks Sexual Assault Awareness month and one of the area’s biggest victim-advocacy centers, Tralee Crisis Center, has a number of activities planned for the month to help raise awareness.
One of the activities is a fundraiser to replace two trees that were killed over the winter.
“One of them was planted during Sexual Assault Awareness month two years ago,” Dee Dee Laramore, director of Tralee Crisis Center, said. “The other was planted during Domestic Violence Awareness month. They both did not survive this past winter. One of them looks like someone pulled it straight out of the ground. The other didn’t survive the snow and ice we had at the end of October.”
The Center plans to raise enough funds to plant bigger trees, instead of the saplings they had planted prior.
“We think about $1,500 should be enough for good-sized trees,” Laramore said. “Right now is a great time to plant. Spring and fall are the best times and work with our observances.”
Later in the month, the Center will be celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Month, which also falls in April.
There will be a banquet honoring the volunteers at 6 p.m. on April 20 in the basement of First United Methodist Church.
On April 28, the Center will also have Denim Day, raising awareness of rape and sexual assaults. Denim Day commemorates a rape victim whose assailant had his charges over-turned because of the jeans she wore.
“She was a victim in the 1990s whose rapist had his conviction over-turned,” Laramore said. “The judge determined that since she was wearing tight jeans, it couldn’t have been rape because she had to have help him take her jeans off.
“Which is ludicrous. Even though it happened in Italy, the sexual assault advocates in the United States and all over the world decided to make this day to bring the awareness out.”
On April 28, the advocates and volunteers at Tralee Crisis Center will wear and decorate jeans for the event. The jeans will also be on display at Tralee Crisis Center Resale Store.
Domestic violence has seen an up-tick in the last year due to the pandemic and stay-at-home orders.
“We were actually down the number of people we were seeing,” Laramore said. “But they were stuck at home with their abusers. The restrictions were killing us because we knew it was happening but it was hard to reach them. Since the restrictions have been lifted, within days we have a seen a big increase already. Which is what we expected.”
Tralee Crisis Center was providing services via video-call during the pandemic, but is now fully open and providing in-person services.
For more information on Tralee Crisis Center, visit their Facebook page or call 806-669-1131. Their 24/7 hotline can be reached at 806-669-1788.
