Thank you for the outpouring of love.
On Friday February 22nd, in the midst of monsoon-like weather for February in Tennessee, more people than could fit through the doors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center’s public office showed up for the agency’s official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. The agency moved to 1423 Kensington Square Ct. Murfreesboro, TN as the proud new owners of 7,000+ square feet of updated public office space.
The move happened with the center’s efforts to grow and meet the demand of the Rutherford County community. “With more than 30 years of serving the needs of survivors and seeing a steady increase in numbers of clients served, we knew that we needed to think strategically about our future plans and the need for more office space,” explains Karen Lampert, the center’s Executive Director. “Through a generous legacy gift and support of our Board of Directors, we were able to purchase a building that will give us expanded capacity to provide innovative and quality victim services well into the future. The additional space will also allow us to move forward in implementing our vision of increasing Sexual Assault services by providing a safe, comfortable and welcoming space to victims seeking Forensic Exams after a sexual assault.”
After the ribbon cutting by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, the center hosted an open house, providing refreshments, tours, and excitedly shared the news of the new SAFE Room (sexual assault forensic exam room) service expansion and what that means for the community.
“To say we were touched by the immense show of support we received by our community would be an understatement,” said Kara Mischke, Community Relations Manager with the center. “To be able to share this milestone with our community was incredible. We are so grateful to every single person who showed up for us, who committed to supporting survivors in our community, and who believe deeply in our mission to protect victims, prevent violence, and empower survivors. We were moved by so many’s personal stories of how domestic violence or sexual assault has touched their lives. Thank you to everyone who came to support the center’s efforts, and who showed our staff that are in the trenches daily of hard advocacy work that they are here to fight with them.”
See all Ribbon Cutting pictures here
The center plans to release more information regarding the SAFE Room service expansion in the coming weeks. You can find a recent news story here in the meantime.
During this celebration, many people asked, “What can I do?” The center offers a wide variety of ways people can utilize their unique talents, resources and time to make a lasting impact on someone’s life. These include becoming a volunteer, supportive giving through financial support or in-kind donations, doing an individual fundraiser or donation drive, participating in the agency’s events and awareness campaigns, as well as sponsorship opportunities. To receive a copy of the center’s Community Support Opportunities or to talk further about getting involved, email kmischke@dvpshelter.org
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center currently provides a variety of free healing and protective services out of its public office, such as court advocacy and counseling. The center also takes 24-hour crisis calls and has a separate confidential safe shelter.
