 | Message from the Executive Director Dear Friends, November begins the time of year when we reflect and give thanks for all that we've received. This November will be one that’s new for all of us. Despite so many challenges and uncertainties, I am certain that we will persevere and that this moment in time will inspire us to hold dear what’s most important in our lives like never before. I am deeply grateful to those who are so willing to give. I am so thankful for every single one of you who have strengthened our community through your unwavering support of survivors of sexual violence despite the challenges you may be facing in your own lives. I am inspired by the courage and sense of resilience I’ve seen in countless ways over the past year in the survivors we serve, our staff, volunteers, leadership, and community. I know we will continue to find strength and grace with the support of each other. For this, I am so grateful. Be safe and stay strong,  Erin | | | | | |  | Today marks the first day of our Annual Giving Campaign, and we hope you will consider making a contribution to Resilience as part of your year-end giving. Your gift will help to ensure that Resilience can continue to provide 24-hour crisis intervention in 17 hospital emergency rooms across Chicago, as well as medical and legal advocacy and comprehensive counseling services to survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones. We have been able to continue our services virtually through the pandemic. Because of your generosity, we are able to serve more than 2,000 individuals every year who are impacted by sexual violence. We look forward to sharing the stories of our impact in the coming weeks so you can directly see the influence that your support of Resilience can make. Please keep an eye out for our Annual Giving Campaign letter which you will receive this month and please save the date for Giving Tuesday on December 1! More details to come soon. Make Your Gift Now | | | | | | Celebrating Our Resilience | |  | Meet Victoria Herrera, one of Resilience's Art Therapists in the Trauma Therapy Department. This year, we’re continuing to celebrate the people who make #OurResilience possible and telling the stories of some of our incredible clients, staff, volunteers, and supporters. It is more important now than ever to embrace and celebrate what connects us: our resilience. This month, we're proudly shining a spotlight on one of our staff members from our Trauma Therapy Department. Our trauma therapists provide free, confidential services for survivors of all ages and their loved ones, including group therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, and art therapy. Victoria is a certified art therapist who works with survivors ages 12 and up and says she's inspired to do this work every day. Click here to read our interview with Victoria. | | | | Evening of Impact was an evening of success! | |  | This year’s Evening of Impact, Everyone Empowered, was a milestone in Resilience’s history. As Resilience’s first virtual fundraiser, we are breaking new ground for the organization and learning as we go how to make an even bigger impact among our constituents and the community at large. Evening of Impact was only the beginning; we have more virtual events coming soon! While the event wasn’t without a technical snafu here and there, we count Evening of Impact as a huge fundraising success. Thanks to the support and generosity of our community members, we raised over $95,000 for Resilience’s programs. We are more dedicated than ever, particularly in today’s climate, to providing completely free services to survivors of sexual violence. Evening of Impact is a key factor in that mission, and we could not be more grateful for your support. Thank you, thank you, for helping make Resilience the powerhouse of support to survivors that we are today. We couldn’t do it without you! If you would like to watch the full program, which was streamed live on YouTube on September 17, please click below. | | | | | | Resilience welcomes new board member, Eugene Halleran! | |  | Gene is a Senior Manager in the PwC Deals practice specializing in financial due diligence. He has significant experience on buy-side and sell-side services surrounding all aspects of the deal continuum within the healthcare and technology industries. Gene received a BS in Business Administration from Indiana University. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as a CFA Charterholder. | | | | | |  | Resilience is looking for new talent to join our ranks in support of survivors of sexual violence. The following positions are currently open: For more information about our Careers & Internships, click here. | | | | | |  | Resilience relies on volunteers to support our mission. During this pandemic, that has not changed, and volunteer medical advocates continue to be the backbone of our organization. As we continue to show up for survivors of sexual violence in hospitals throughout the city, we need your help now more than ever. Volunteer medical advocates complete 60 hours of virtual training before signing up to be on-call to hospitals throughout the Chicago area. We are committed to ensuring that in those difficult moments survivors have emotional support and information regarding their rights and the options available to them. We have equipped our advocates with PPE and we will continue to do what we can so that no survivor has to be alone. If you’d like to join our team, please click here for more information. The next volunteer training starts in January of 2021. January 20 – February 24
Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Application Deadline: December 28 | | | | | |  | Introducing the New Celebrating Resilience Speaker Series
Thursday, December 3
12:00 - 1:00 pm Join Resilience Board member Dr. Crystal Clark for a discussion on mental health, wellness, and learning to be resilient in our current environment. People everywhere are being impacted by numerous strains on our mental health: navigating the "new normal" of the pandemic, balancing home life while working from home and/or homeschooling our children, and figuring out how to practice self care with so many demands on our time and energy. In today's climate, survivors of a trauma are impacted more than ever before. Zoom link will be provided to those who register. | | | |  | Dinner Table Dialogues
Winter 2021 (Dates TBD) Dinner Table Dialogues is a group of passionate, active donors who are interested in engaging the public to bring about a greater awareness of the impact of sexual abuse on our culture. Founded by Jean Cozier, major Resilience donor and founder of Awakenings, a non-profit dedicated to making visible the artistic endeavors of survivors of sexual violence. Contact Amy O'Keeffe for more information. Details coming soon! | |  | Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education
Friday, December 4
10:00 am - 2:30 pm This training is intended for higher education professionals involved in providing student survivor support or responding to student disclosures of sexual of domestic violence. Suggested participants are confidential advisors, student conduct, and student counseling services. | | | | Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma: Implications for Service Providers
Friday, December 11
10:30 am - 2:00 pm | | | | | | | | | | Resilience
180 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 600 Chicago, Illinois 60601
312-443-9603 | info@ourresilience.org. | | | | | | | | | |
