Compass encourages support for Sexual Assault Awareness Month
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 18, 2022) – Officials with the Compass Rape Crisis Center in Tuscarawas County are using Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April to educate the public about ending the abuse.
Community Engagement Coordinator Kristi Campbell-Meiser says it can be as simple as reaching out to talk to someone who is either going through a rough time or showing concerning behavior.
“With men, a lot of the time, we have this concept that men have to be manly, and we don’t talk about emotions, and we just deal with things on our own,” she said.
She says the center offers a 24/7 crisis hotline and has staff members who will accompany survivors on visits with doctors or police.
In addition, the center provides sheltering and counseling services.
“We’ll help them fill out applications and other things that can be kind of challenging when you’re not familiar with the process and you’re dealing with that fog that you have after experiencing a trauma,” said Campbell-Meiser.
Campbell-Meiser says their Teal Chair Campaign is also underway again out in public and on social media for April.
The chairs, in prominent locations around the county, are specially decorated for the center’s 25th anniversary, each with an explanation of its design or a short victim impact statement.
“Every year we set out our teal chairs throughout the community and they help to raise awareness about the impact that sexual assault not only has on survivors but on their families and then the community as a whole,” she said.
Meiser says the county commissioners are always supportive of the campaign and place one of the teal chairs outside their meeting room at the Tuscarawas County office building.
Photo from Compass on Facebook