 | Message from the Executive Director Dear Friend, March is Women’s History Month. Resilience is taking time to celebrate women throughout history who have made progress toward equality. Too often history books underemphasize or ignore the incredible women with marginalized identities who have fought for progress, such as queer women, trans women, and women of color. We recognize all the women who have made our current landscape a reality and thank those who stood up to start the fight to end sexual violence. Dr. Natalie A. Stephens, who founded Resilience almost 50 years ago in 1974, is one woman from our history that we honor during this time. We celebrate her fortitude and work to continue to uphold her legacy. We commemorate her and so many others this month and beyond! We have so much to look forward to as we welcome spring. April will be an especially exciting time for Resilience because it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). We’re hosting a variety of events to build community with you all: take a look at the below list of this year's events and get involved! Later this spring, we'll celebrate the third annual Celebrating Resilience Luncheon. Keep an eye out for a save the date. We can’t wait to connect with you soon. Until then, take care of yourselves and one another. Sincerely, | |  | Erin Walton
Executive Director
Resilience | | | | Meet Candice Tindell It is important now more than ever to embrace and celebrate what connects us: our resilience. This month, we're shining a spotlight on Candice Tindell, the Resilience Training and Outreach Manager. Learn more about our Education and Training program, the Resilience Training Institute, and more! Read our interview with Candice below. | |  | | | | | April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, one of our busiest and most important times of year. We hope you'll join us for a variety of events! - T-Shirt Designing Open Studio (Virtual) — Monday, April 4, and Monday, April 11
- SAAM Day of Action - Wear Teal — Tuesday, April 5
- Breaking the Silence Café (Virtual) — Thursday, April 14
- Denim Day — Wednesday, April 27
- Standing Silent Witness — Friday, April 29 (our signature SAAM event!)
SAAM is one of Resilience's biggest fundraising opportunities. We are consistently blown away by our community's peer-to-peer fundraising, which will kick off on Friday, April 1. If you're interested in supporting Resilience in honor of SAAM, we hope you'll consider starting a personal fundraiser. We will share a toolkit with all the information you'll need later this month. You can also make a gift today. Every donation makes a difference. Thank you for fighting to end sexual violence! | | | | Seeking Performers for Breaking the Silence Café Do you have a story you want to share? Resilience is in search of poets, performers, spoken word artists, storytellers, musicians, and visual artists for this year's virtual Breaking the Silence Café on Thursday, April 14, at 12 p.m. via Zoom. This poetry and spoken word event showcases local Chicago artists who identify as survivors of sexual violence or their close allies. This will be an afternoon of poetry and performance grounded in survivorship, allyship, and ending sexual violence. Because Breaking the Silence falls in the middle of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we try to focus our event on uplifting survivors and their loved ones so that we can leave the space with a renewed energy to continue the work of supporting survivors. Contact Annalise Castro at acastro@ourresilience.org for more information about performing or send a brief message detailing what you would like to perform or showcase. | |  | | | | | Become a Volunteer Medical Advocate Resilience is searching for our next training class of volunteer medical advocates. The deadline to apply for our Spring 2022 volunteer training is March 30. An orientation session (by invitation only) will be held in April, and the training will take place from April 25 through June 1. To learn more about our volunteer program, click here. Apply today by clicking the button below! | | | |  | Interested in becoming a volunteer medical advocate later instead? The deadline to apply for our Summer 2022 volunteer training is June 29, and the deadline for our Fall 2022 training is September 28. Congratulations to our most recent class of 22 graduates who completed their volunteer training last week! Resilience is honored to have you. | | | | Legislative News Did you know that Resilience provides policy education and institutional advocacy to improve the treatment of sexual assault survivors and to effect positive change in public attitudes toward sexual assault? Resilience is supporting several bills this session: - Amendments to SASETA to improve hospital reimbursement process and rates as well as allow longer access to free follow-up care for survivors (Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act) — SB2967 and SB3023
- Increasing Access to PrEp and PEP medications — HB4430
- Ensuring Success In Schools (Trailer Bill) — HB 3173 SFA 2 & 3
- Access to Emergency Contraception on College Campuses — HB 4247
- Amendment to the Gender Violence Act to include Stealthing — HB 4453/HB 4957
- Loan Repayment Act for Human Service Providers — HB 4720/SB 3925
- One Fair Wage & Women Employed Initiative —HB 5139
For more information on these efforts or to discuss these and other legislative efforts, contact Sarah Layden, Director of Programs and Public Policy. | | | |  | Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence in Higher Education Trainings – Virtual Two upcoming dates: Friday, March 25, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. via Zoom Friday, May 27, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. via Zoom This virtual training is intended for higher education professionals providing student survivor support or responding to student disclosures of sexual or domestic violence. The training will provide an in-depth look at identifying and understanding sexual and intimate partner violence, stalking, and domestic violence. Participants will explore the impact of trauma and trauma responses, as well as legal and medical options for survivors. | | | | | | Learn more about upcoming trainings and events on the News & Events page of our website. | | | | Resilience Associate Board 5k Run/Walk When: Saturday, June 4, 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. Where: Burnham Park, 3900 S. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60653 Join the Associate Board for its first annual 5k run/walk in support of Resilience! This is a family- and dog-friendly event for walkers and runners of all levels! By participating, you will help raise awareness about Resilience and fundraise to support the organization's free services for survivors of sexual assault. Participants will receive a t-shirt and other merch at the finish line. Get special early bird pricing when you register before May 1. Learn more here. Registration is opening soon! | | | | Work with Us! Resilience is Hiring Resilience is looking for new talent to join our ranks in support of survivors of sexual violence. The following positions are currently open: To learn more about careers at Resilience, click here. Know someone who might be a good fit? Send them this email! | | | | | | | | Resilience
180 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 600 | Chicago, Illinois 60601
312-443-9603 | info@ourresilience.org | | | | | | | | | | | |
