Local violence and abuse survivors can now turn to RISE, a nonprofit organization formed by the merging of the Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Center and the North County Women’s Shelter & Resource Center.
The name of the new organization was revealed on Thursday at a special event in Templeton, CA celebrating the merger and launching the new brand.
“This new name and brand was a community effort,” said RISE Executive Director Jennifer Adams. “Over several weeks, we deployed surveys, held multiple meetings and went through an exciting rebranding process. The name RISE is at once hopeful and powerful, and is actually an acronym for our tagline – Respect. Inspire. Support. Empower.”
Community partners, local leaders, the community in general, and the media attended a special event yesterday at Twin Cities Hospital’s Morgan Conference Center announcing the new brand. The launch event was generously sponsored by Twin Cities Community Hospital, The Wellness Kitchen and Tidelands Counseling. NCWSRC and SARP merged in January of this year into a new organization serving both intimate partner violence and sexual assault/abuse victims and their families. The merger was an important step in providing comprehensive services to victims of violence in our community.
The new agency will draw on over 65 years of combined experience providing services and shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault/abuse. The new organization will have a combined budget of $1.1 million and a staff of 25 providing services at two program sites in the county – one in San Luis Obispo and one in Paso Robles.
Leaders of the two agencies say this union creates a stronger organization with a larger platform, better able to serve the needs of the community. Both agencies work to empower women, children, men and families through advocacy services, counseling, shelter and education.
Approximately 60 percent of intimate partner violence survivors served by NCWSRC have experienced sexual assault, while statistics show that two out of three sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.
“We believe respect is the cornerstone to ending violence and creating peace,” Adams said, explaining the RISE tagline. “We inspire the community to be active in the movement to end gender-based violence. We support loved ones of those affected by sexual assault/abuse and intimate partner violence. We empower victims to heal from trauma and transform their lives.”
A new website is being developed, but the two former sites are still currently available and can be found at RISEslo.org, where supporters can also donate. After months of due diligence and negotiations facilitated by an independent consulting firm, La Piana Consulting, the two agencies’ boards of directors voted to merge the agencies effective January 1, 2013. The rebrand was facilitated by Verdin, a local marketing agency, who will also be designing the new website.