Sanctuary Director spotlights events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April marks national Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and Sanctuary, Inc. has a full calendar of events planned to spotlight the resources that are available to assault survivors.

Sanctuary is a Christian County-based nonprofit that provides support and resources to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across the Pennyrile Region. Nonprofit Executive Director Heather Lancaster shared what events they have planned for April at Thursday’s Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club meeting.

It all kicks off with Wear Teal Day on April 1. Teal is the official color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Lancaster says is represents serenity and resilience. From April 13 to April 17, the “What Were You Wearing,” Silent Exhibit will be open at Hopkinsville Community College and Madisonsville Community College. Lancaster says the exhibit will feature mannequins in outfits that were worn by survivors at the time they were sexually assaulted.

Then, the nonprofit will host showings of the documentary, “To Kill a Tiger” which follows a father in India who is fighting to get justice for his daughter who was a victim of gang rape. Both showings will be hosted at 5 p.m. at MCC on April 14 and at HCC on April 16.

The Hopkinsville Police Department will host its Thin Blue Run on April 18 to raise funds for Sanctuary and the Children’s Advocacy Center. Law enforcement members will run the full length of Christian County concluding at Valor Conference and Event Center in Oak Grove where Sanctuary will be presented with a donation.

Then, community members are invited to write encouraging messages to assault survivors during Chalk the Walk from April 20 to April 24.

April 29 marks denim day and folks are invited to wear denim to take a stand against sexual assault victim blaming. Denim Day began after an Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction in 1992 because the victim was allegedly wearing tight jeans.

To conclude the month, Lancaster says they will host a finale event at 6 p.m. on April 30 at the Bruce Convention Center featuring keynote speaker Elizabeth Smart. Smart will spotlight her book, “My Story: The Journey from Abduction to Empowerment,” where she talks about her experience surviving a kidnapping and later becoming an activist.

Lancaster says the initial tickets sold out, but the sales may reopen on eventbrite.com. More information about the events being hosted for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is available at Sanctuary, Inc. on Facebook.