GoodBookey partner Orange County Rape Crisis Center (OCRCC) is one of the longest standing charities supported by the app. Since 1974, OCRCC has been committed to stopping sexual violence and its impact through support, education, and advocacy. The Center provides a 24-hour help line, advocacy and accompaniment, support groups, workshops, and therapy referrals. OCRCC also offers educational programs for raising awareness about sexual violence. Additionally, it teaches prevention skills in its hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and surrounding communities in Orange County.
Overcoming Challenges
The biggest challenge the Center faces in achieving its mission is changing rape culture. Recent national news stories have brought to light the way that rape—and rapists—are perceived in our society. People seem to be more concerned with how jail time will affect the perpetrator than how rape affects the victim. “There’s a misconception, especially around campus sexual assault, that perpetrators don’t really mean it, that they were confused or just got carried away. But that’s not reality,” said OCRCC Executive Director Alyson Culin. “We need to acknowledge that the only cause of rape is the rapist, and that the trauma they inflict can really impact the lives of survivors.”
Volunteer Impact
Those who volunteer with the OCRCC—currently numbering about 75 Orange County residents and students from the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—have not only gotten mad enough about rape culture, but are willing to dedicate themselves to more than 60 hours of training to be qualified to work with the Center. OCRCC sets the bar very high for its volunteers to ensure that they have the ability to support rape survivors.
These volunteers, although highly trained, are not clinicians and aren’t able to provide therapy in a formal setting to survivors. The Center has a goal of complementing the work of its staff and volunteer counselors with therapy provided on-site through licensed clinicians rather than having to refer survivors to outside services. “It’s very challenging to get survivors into long-term therapy due to cost. It can also be really difficult to find a therapist who has experience with trauma or, more specifically, sexual violence,” said Culin.
To help meet this challenge, OCRCC is currently raising money to hire a full-time, bilingual therapist to serve on-site and provide long-term therapy to survivors.
OCRCC Funding
Funding for OCRCC also goes toward providing education for children, parents, teachers, and healthcare workers. The Center has educated children in schools for 35 years and now implements programs in pre-K through ninth grade throughout Orange County schools. All of the education is designed in-house and is age-appropriate. For the youngest children, education focuses on recognizing boundaries, saying no in uncomfortable situations, and talking to trusted adults. Later on, kids learn lessons about speaking up if you see someone doing something wrong—being an “upstander” rather than a bystander. And for teens, the program moves into a more frank discussion of consent and sexual violence in high school.
OCRCC impacted 15,000 people last year and is somewhat of a standard bearer among rape crisis centers nationwide. “We’re proud of the work we do, and we have high standards for our staff and volunteers,” said Culin. “When someone chooses to trust you with their story, that is not to be taken lightly. It’s so important to listen, believe, and empower survivors.”
Partnering with GoodBookey
OCRCC impacted 15,000 people last year and is somewhat of a standard bearer among rape crisis centers nationwide. “We’re proud of the work we do, and we have high standards for our staff and volunteers,” said Culin. “When someone chooses to trust you with their story, that is not to be taken lightly. It’s so important to listen, believe, and empower survivors.”
The need and desire to continue its important work is what led OCRCC to partner with GoodBookey and the work they’re doing on behalf of non-profits. “We’re right in the middle of basketball country, and as a Tar Heel born and bred, I know how serious things can get around here,” Culin said. “GoodBookey provides an excellent opportunity for fans to support a good cause while backing their team in friendly rivalries.”
GoodBookey is proud to support the work of OCRCC and further their four-plus decades of work in the community. Visit OCRCC for more information.
