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June 6, 2008

New site to better serve ‘survivors’

Rape Crisis Center moves to Tilton location

BY BARBARA GREENBERG

DANVILLE — Services to rape victims continue uninterrupted as Vermilion County Rape Crisis Center gets ready to open later this month at its new location on Georgetown Road in Tilton.

The VCRCC staff wouldn’t have it any other way. The need for the group’s services doesn’t take a break.

Legal Advocate Crystal Burson said 26 cases of sexual assault have been reported to the group so far this year.

“The most recent victims include an adult and a minor female. The woman’s attacker was convicted on a combination of sexual assault and domestic violence charges,” Burson said. “He was sentenced to 20 years. He’ll have to do at least 85 percent of that time.

“The second victim was assaulted by a family member. He was sentenced to 30 years for aggravated criminal assault,” she said.

“People can be victims at any age,” Trish Keith, vice president of VCRCC’s board of directors, said. “They range from infants to seniors. They’re all different professions; they can be male as well as female.”

VCRCC Executive Director Nancy Cahall said another factor victims have in common is that only three out of 10 actually report the rape.

“People use all different terms for this type of an attack — I think it depends on the era when you grew up,” Cahall said. “Rape is a powerful word, too powerful for some people. We’ll call it what we need to call it to help the victims.

“I prefer the term ‘survivors,’” Keith said.

“Hopefully, people realize that whatever it’s called, the attack is not their fault. They shouldn’t have to deal with humiliation or degradation,” Cahall said.

That powerful message, along with other forms of help and information, continue to be provided while VCRCC is moving from Danville’s Your Family Resource Connection to the former Sawbuck’s banquet center on Georgetown Road. The new location on the back portion of the lot with the strip mall that once housed Eagle grocery store.

“We chose this location for a number of reasons,” Cahall said. “There’s plenty of parking, it’s right on the bus line and it’s handicap accessible.

“We want victims of sexual violence to know that we are here and ready to assist them,” she said.

During the transition period, VCRCC continues to provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the local rape crisis hotline, 446-1337 or toll free at (866) 617-3224.

“We are always here for rape victims in Vermilion County,” Cahall said. “We will answer the call whenever it is made.”

VCRCC services are free and confidential. Victims of sexual violence benefit from having specialized services, and VCRCC employees are specifically trained in methods to assist rape survivors in recovery.

VCRCC also provides medical and legal advocacy, counseling and prevention education. The prevention education programs are available for all school-age children as well as community groups.

“Our goal is to eliminate sexual violence and in order to do that, we must teach our youth the importance of respect and equality,” Cahall said.

The Vermilion County Rape Crisis Center is part of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, a statewide coalition of 33 rape crisis centers.

“ICASA is committed to having rape crisis services in Vermilion County and is extremely pleased to have VCRCC as part of our coalition,” ICASA Executive Director Polly Poskin said.

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