Child Sexual Abuse Survivor
She was frozen when her friend made her get off the bus. Panic-stricken. She couldn’t sleep. She could barely leave her room because her panic attacks were so severe. Carson didn’t know what to do.
Her best friend, Sara, didn’t really know either, but she had heard of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Sara rode the bus downtown with Carson and made her get off the bus, despite Carson’s pleas to just keep riding.
When they finally walked in the lobby of The Leader Building, Carson wanted to turn around. Sara made her keep walking and step on the elevator. There were 14 floors up and at least 14 reasons to go back home, but Sara insisted that Carson at least try the Center. Frankly, Sara didn’t know what else to do. 
I was terrified,” said Carson more than a year later. “But everyone (at the Center) was really nice, they were really friendly, they didn’t push me to tell them anything. I remember how scared I was and I remember that moment of feeling like oh my god, there is someone who actually will understand.”
When Carson was 3 or 4 years old, she was molested and raped by the father of a friend who lived across the street. She had no memory of the abuse until she was almost 16 years old. At 18, she found herself in her college dorm room, terrified that someone would find out.
“I didn’t want my family to know, I didn’t want anyone to know,” she recalls. “At first I was so scared of telling anyone and it was just horrifying to realize that everything I had thought I knew about myself wasn’t really correct.”
That changed when her friend Sara encouraged her to visit Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
“(The Center) taught me to find the strength that I had and to use it, so that I can live my daily life again,” said Carson. “I want other people to know that no matter how alone they feel, there are other survivors who are here and we can all support each other.”
In the last 18 months, Carson has eagerly spoken out to encourage other rape survivors to seek help.
“If you haven’t come (to the Center) yet, if for some reason you are scared or you don’t think someone will believe you, or you don’t think you have the money, the treatment here is free and it can really change your life,” she added. “I understand why you’d be scared. I was terrified… It’s really hard as a survivor. You can talk to your friends and family and they really try to be there for you, but there is nothing like someone who knows what you are going through.”
How has the community responded to Carson’s outreach?
“The attitude I’ve been met with a lot of people is, ‘I’m not a rape survivor, I wasn’t molested, no one I know was molested.’ But chances are that somebody you know is a victim of molestation. Someone that is your friend or your family member (is a survivor) and it’s only by making a safer environment that they are going to speak out.”
You can help create a safe environment by joining Carson as a Face of Change and donating to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
Girls Kick Butt II! The Next Generation
An empowerment day for girls 10-18
Saturday, April 16, 2016 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Girls Kick Butt II! The Next Generation is a fun-filled day for girls 10-18 and their parent or supportive adult focused on inspiration, support and empowerment. Self-esteem building activities like interactive conversations, drumming, yoga, mask-making and self-defense are teen-centered and fun!
Girls Kick Butt! provides a forum for girls to express their views, ask questions and learn skills, attitudes and behaviors that promote safety and empowerment.
The conference is free and includes breakfast and lunch
Forest Hill Presbyterian Church
3031 Monticello Blvd.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Registration for this all-girl empowerment day is now closed. For more information, please call (216) 619-6194
Presented in partnership with The CARE TEAM, Renee Jones Empowerment Center, MetroHealth, UMADAOP, Golden Ciphers, Extended Family, Different Like You, Yoga Roots, Windhorse Yoga & Bodywork, Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center, Dr. Tyffani Monford Dent
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is pleased to welcome new members to its 2016 Board of Directors:
Liz Ahmed, Global Chief Human Resources Officer, AmTrust Financial Services
Kelley Barnett, Partner, Frantz Ward
Jennifer Collister, Vice President, Underwriting, Chief Underwriter, Medical Mutual
David Crandall, VP General Counsel, Fairmount Santrol
Peter A. DeMarco, Director of Tax Services, Meaden & Moore
Chief Clayton Harris, Chief of Police, Cuyahoga Community College
Dr. Miriam Perez, Physician, Cleveland Clinic
We salute our Board of Directors‘ commitment to supporting survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promoting healing and prevention and creating change in our community.
CLEVELAND, OH – Cleveland Rape Crisis Center will be re-locating its central downtown office to the Halle Building, 1228 Euclid Avenue, Suite 200, early next year. The organization will move from its current location on the 14th floor of the Leader Building, 526 Superior Avenue, where it has been housed since 2009.
The Center signed a ten-year lease agreement with K&D for more than 14,000 square feet on the second floor of the Halle Building, a 40% increase over its existing office space. The new offices will house CRCC’s downtown counseling services for rape and sexual abuse survivors, as well as administrative offices, making room for the growing number of people seeking help. Hanna Commercial Real Estate agents, Julie Sabroff and David Wagner, represented Cleveland Rape Crisis Center in the transaction, and Geoff Coyle represented the landlord.
“Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is providing services to an unprecedented number of women, men and children who have suffered unnecessarily,” said Laurie Muller-Girard, a Board Member for the Center who led the search process. “Our new home at the Halle Building will include an upgraded art therapy studio, a larger children’s therapy room, and enhanced group and individual counseling offices. We are preparing to double the amount of square-footage dedicated to client services.”
“I applaud K&D for recognizing how important our services are to this community. They have worked side-by-side with us to ensure that this re-location makes it even easier for clients to access our help,” added Sondra Miller, President & CEO of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. “K&D’s principles have become more than landlords; they are valued partners helping us make this region healthier, safer and stronger.”
“We believe in the mission of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and are proud to partner with them to make sure that people who need help can get it,” said Doug Price, Chief Executive Officer of K&D Management, LLC. “We are leveraging our expertise and resources to make sure their new home is accessible, inviting, warm and nurturing – everything that a survivor deserves to have as they are healing”, added Karen Paganini, K&D’s President.
Last year, K&D announced plans to convert the upper floors of the Leader Building into residential use and has since worked to re-locate many tenants, including Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
K&D of Willoughby, Ohio is Northeast Ohio’s largest owner/managers of residential and mixed-use properties, including 12,000 apartment units and over 1 million square feet of commercial space. K&D recently completed the Residences at 1717, a luxury high-rise historic conversion, adding 232 new apartments to the Downtown neighborhood. This follows on the heels of the highly successful historic renovation projects including the Residences at 668 and the Residences at Hanna. K&D just announced the closing of financing for the historic renovations at The Leader Building, which will convert the top 12 stories into over 220 luxury apartments, while retaining the first-floor retail, and two floors of commercial space.
The mission of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is to support survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promote healing and prevention and advocate for social change. The Center provided counseling, advocacy, prevention and training services to nearly 20,000 people in 2014. For more information, visit www.clevelandrapecrisis.org or call 216-619-6194. The Center’s 24-hour rape crisis and support hotline is 216-619-6192.
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The time has come to join Cleveland Rape Crisis Center in the fight against rape. Watch this video to help bring attention to this issue in Northeast Ohio and support our 24/7 services available to survivors throughout Cuyahoga County, Lake County, Geauga County and Ashtabula County
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to Welcome Michelle Knight as Keynote Speaker for Faces of Change Luncheon on April 15
CLEVELAND, OH – On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, Michelle Knight will share her story of healing in a keynote speech for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s Faces of Change Luncheon from 12:00-1:30pm at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.
Michelle Knight is one of three women kidnapped by Ariel Castro. She was held captive and sexually abused by him for more than a decade. Now a Face of Change herself, Michelle serves our local community as a voice for individuals who have been raped or sexually abused. She bravely tells her story in Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings. Michele is a powerful symbol of hope and healing.
“Michelle’s message is one of healing, surviving and even thriving,” said Sondra Miller, President/CEO. “She is a true inspiration and beacon of hope to all of those who have experienced sexual violence.”
The Faces of Change Luncheon is a community event that raises awareness and financial support for sexual assault survivors. More than 900 people are expected to attend.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center will honor the Cleveland FBI Violent Crimes Task Force with Face of Change Awards during the luncheon. The all-star Sing Out! Chorale will also make a special appearance. Sponsorships and tickets are available by calling 216-619-6194 or by visiting www.clevelandrapecrisis.org.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center supports survivors of sexual violence, promotes healing and prevention and creates social change. The Center served more than 18,000 people in 2014. For more information, visit www.clevelandrapecrisis.org or call 216-619-6194. The Center’s 24-hour hotline is 216-619-6192
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Cleveland, OH – January 30, 2015 – Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) is proud to announce an expansion of clinical services and prevention programming for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Rooted in CRCC’s forty years of expertise as Northeast Ohio’s only dedicated provider of rape crisis services, CRCC will work to prevent abuse before it occurs and empower families with the skills and knowledge to heal and move forward as a stronger, more stable family unit.
Many of CRCC’s clients seek out services and support years, or even decades, after their initial trauma. In those intervening years, survivors often experience post-traumatic stress disorder, just like veterans coming out of combat. Survivors are three times more likely to suffer from depression, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
This expansion will allow CRCC to proactively bring services to families, which increases many survivors access to services and the likelihood they will value and invest in treatment. Utilizing a holistic approach for victims and their primary caregivers, CRCC aims to help more children heal, sooner after the trauma they experience; curbing the devastating side effects of trauma.
Funding for this expansion has been provided by The Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services Bureau of Children and Family Services, Ohio Children’s Trust Fund, Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County and Invest in Children. Through a rigorous review process CRCC is part of a select group of providers charged with executing this programming throughout Cuyahoga County. According to the Center’s President & CEO, Sondra Miller, “CRCC is honored and delighted to bring this funding to the Greater Cleveland region. I applaud these leaders’ decision to strengthen early intervention programming and invest in the prevention of childhood rape and sexual abuse.”
CRCC supports survivors of sexual violence, promotes healing and prevention and creates social change in our community, providing services to nearly 20,000 individuals each year. Comprehensive programs in Cuyahoga County include a 24-hour rape crisis and support hotline, a 24-hour sex trafficking hotline, individual and group counseling, hospital and justice system advocacy, community education, professional training and youth development and prevention programs. Counseling services are also available in Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties
Celebrating 40 years of supporting survivors, promoting healing and prevention, and advocating for social change. In 1974 there was nowhere for a survivor of sexual assault to turn for help but four courageous women started a hotline that is today known as Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Learn more about our organization and the support we have provided to victims for the last four decades.
