April Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month Events, 2023

Mondays in April 2023, 7:00am – 9:00am, Coffee Chats: Join us at participating coffee houses as we travel throughout the community to visit with you over coffee.  Learn about services, volunteer opportunities, and get your free coffee sleeve.  Dates and location: 4/3 – Tucknee Coffee House, 4/10 – Vino Latte, 4/17 – Clean Slate Coffee House, and 4/24 – Mission Coffee House, Mosinee, WI.

Tuesdays in April 2023, Teal Tuesday: Show your support by wearing teal on Tuesdays. Take a picture of yourself all dressed in teal and share it on your favorite social media platform and tag The Women’s Community.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM: Nathan Spiteri’s Toy Cars: One Man’s Story of Surviving Child Sexual Abuse:  Filmmaker, Actor, and Writer.  Nathan is also a sexual abuse survivor, activist and advocate. Born in Canberra, Australia, Nathan was sexually abused as a child, threatened with his life and that of his family. He turned to drugs, violence and sex as a result to survive. Hitting rock bottom, Nathan finally came out the other side, through intense therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics and Sex Anonymous. He chooses to share his painful past to spread awareness, educate and be an advocate for victims of sexual abuse. Join us to hear a dynamic speaker with a powerful story.  The event is free and located at NTC, 1000 Campus Dr., Wausau, WI, Room E101/E102. Sponsors of this presentation are made possible by Dani’s Journey Education Fund and NTC.  Registration required. Optional lunch from 11:30 AM-12:00 PM prior to afternoon presentation for a fee. Refreshments included at evening presentation for free. Register here: Conferences, Seminars, and Workshops | Northcentral Technical College (ntc.edu).

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 Start by Believing Day: On this day we gather to end the silence and change the way we respond to sexual assault. We Start by Believing. Please join us on social media for information about how you can show support for survivors.  The next step is to speak out.  We invite you to sign a petition to support a victim centered response and show support for victims of sexual assault. To sign a national petition – https://www.startbybelieving.org/call-to-action/

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 5:30pm, Award Ceremony:  Join us as we recognize outstanding community members for their dedication to supporting survivors of sexual assault. Lights snacks provided. Refreshments may be purchased from Whitewater Music Hall. The event is located at Whitewater Music Hall and Brew Works, 130 1st St., Wausau, WI.  Free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 15, 2023, 6:00pm, 9^th Annual Dani’s Journey Bowling Event: 9-pin tap, 1 shift at 6:00pm. Registration begins at 5:00pm. Live music from 8:00pm-midnight. For more information about the fundraiser or how to get involved with Dani’s Journey Education Fund, please contact DanisJourney@yahoo.com. Bowling event will be held at Dales Weston Lane, 5902 Schofield Ave., Weston, WI.  Proceeds will go to The Women’s Community to help educate youth about teen dating violence and sexual assault.

Friday, April 21, 2023 7:30am-8:30am, MOSAIC Virtual Training – Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence with a Trauma Informed Lens:  Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault.  Whether we are a victim or the person hearing about an event, most of us don’t know how to react. When survivors have support, it can decrease long-term effects of trauma. Register https://www.eventbrite.com/e/supporting-survivors-of-sexual-violence-with-a-trauma-informed-lens-tickets-577557328517

Monday, April 24, 2023, 6:00pm-7:30pm, Virtual Book Discussion: Join us in reading the book, ‘My Dark Vanessa’ by Kate Elizabeth Russel.  My Dark Vanessa alternates between the past and present of character Vanessa Wye. In the midst of the national reckoning around sexual assault brought on by the #MeToo movement, she is re-evaluating a relationship she had when she was 15 with her 42-year-old English teacher Jacob Strane. In 2017, Strane is accused of sexual abuse by another former student, who reaches out to Vanessa. Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. Content Warning: Graphic sexual violence content.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83018797677?pwd=Rk4rN1pnYWFoYmlGdjR4dXpsdzc2UT09

Wednesday, April 26, 2023, Denim Day: A symbolic gesture –Denim Day is an international protest responding to the Italian Supreme Court’s overruling of a rape conviction in 1999. Although the assailant had been found guilty at trial, the Supreme Court argued that because jeans are difficult to remove, the assailant couldn’t have done so without the victim’s help. Sounds outrageous, yet all over the world, women and men who are victims of sexual assault continue to be disbelieved and accused of causing the assault due to their behavior… or fashion sense. Everyone is invited to wear denim. We encourage you to wear jeans on this day in support of survivors and bringing awareness to the issue. Post your photo to social media pages on Facebook and Instagram and tag The Women’s Community, #denimday2023.

Thursday, April 27, 2023, 5:00pm-7:00pm, We Step Into the Light Art Exhibit Open House:  Enjoy art work created by volunteer survivors who collaborated together through We Step Into the Light, a project raising awareness about sexual assault, relationship and gender based violence, and stalking.  Artists are paired with survivors who act as a muse for the art created.  All artwork focuses on celebrating survivors and their ambition, goals, and passions of the survivor.  Food and refreshments will be provided.  Mingle while enjoying art, music and food. A formal presentation on the project and artwork will take place at 5:45pm. The event will be held at UWSP at Wausau, 625 Stewart Ave, Wausau, WI  54401 in the UW Center for Civic Engagement.

For more information or how to make a donation to support survivors please visit our website at http://womenscommunity.org/ways-to-help/donate/