WOOD RIVER - A local organization is seeking donations to support sexual violence survivors.
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Metro East Every Survivor Counts provides resources, counseling, advocacy and more support to survivors. Executive Director Ella Barrett noted that they need donations to continue their work in Madison and St. Clair Counties, and they have started a GoFundMe to facilitate donations amidst the federal government shutdown.
“It’s always so beautiful to see when our community gives back to us, because it’s a way to see that survivors are being supported,” Barrett said. “When the community joins in on that, it shows our survivors that they have a community that supports them, that believes them, that hears them and wants to be on their side.”
Barrett explained that Metro East ESC receives a lot of federal and state grant funding. With this funding up in the air during the shutdown, they are seeking local support.
Additionally, donations don’t have the same restrictions that some grants do, so the organization can use donations to provide survivors with gas cards, hotel stays, changes of clothes and other resources that are sometimes limited through grant funding.
As an organization, Metro East ESC serves survivors every step of the way. They can help you obtain an order of protection and they offer counseling services at their Wood River office. They also regularly provide training at workplaces and schools.
Volunteers will even arrive at the hospital when a survivor has been identified to advocate for the survivor during the evidence collection process, if they desire. Barrett noted that survivors usually surrender their clothes for the evidence collection kit; a $30 donation provides a change of clothes so they don’t have to leave the hospital in a hospital gown.
A $5–10 donation can go toward a gas card or a hot meal for the evening. A $90 donation might provide a hotel stay so a survivor doesn't have to return to the home where their perpetrator lives. No matter how big or small the donation, the money goes toward helping survivors navigate the aftermath of an assault.
Barrett urges the community to consider donating. She emphasized that this is a chance to support local survivors in Madison and St. Clair County. You can show your support for ending sexual violence while actively helping someone who is struggling. These funds, Barrett added, are needed now more than ever.
“Having those community donations always helps hold over the program in terms of resources and services that can be provided to survivors,” she said. “When a government shutdown happens, funding is sometimes paused or sometimes delayed. When we have those community donations, we can still provide those services at the rate we were providing them before.”
To donate to the GoFundMe, click here. For more information about Metro East Every Survivor Counts, visit their official website at MetroEastEverySurvivorCounts.org.
