Cleveland, OH – Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is pleased to announce that its 2016 Sing Out! for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, presented by University Hospitals (Sing Out!), will honor Heather Lennox Krause, Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day, Cleveland, for her leadership in advancing the mission of the Center.
Sing Out! is a long-standing one-night-only community music tradition which raises spirits, awareness and support for Northeast Ohio’s sole provider of comprehensive rape crisis services. The Sing Out! Chorale brings together more than 100 community, civic and business leaders to “sing out against rape and sexual abuse.” This year’s performance is scheduled for Thursday, June 9th at Severance Hall.
Linda M. Kane, Principal, Geraldine Financial Consulting, and Steven D. Standley, Chief Administrative Officer, University Hospitals, are co-chairing the event. The Chorale Committee is led by Amy G. Brady, Chief Information Officer, KeyBank; Richard J. Clark, Executive Vice President, John P. Murphy Foundation and Vice President, Kulas Foundation; and Lauren Rich Fine.
Heather Lennox Krause is a Cleveland native and graduate of Holy Name High School and John Carroll University. She has worked for Jones Day since earning her juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. She is the 13th woman to head one of Jones Day’s 42 offices worldwide, and the first to lead the Cleveland office. She is a long-time supporter of the Center, has served on the Center’s board, and is a powerful voice in the community standing up for survivors of sexual abuse and prevention education.
“Heather has been an ardent supporter of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center for nearly 20 years and was a member of the Board of Directors for eight years,” says the Center’s Chief Development Officer, Sarah Trimble. “Heather has been a leader in so many ways. She is a steadfast advocate for the Center at Jones Day and to the many other organizations she has engaged in our mission. In every role she takes on for the Center, she gives it her all. We are so proud to honor her at the 2016 Sing Out!”
Sponsorships and tickets for Sing Out! are available by calling 216-619-6194 or by visiting www.clevelandrapecrisis.org.
Sing Out! for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Thursday, June 9
5:30 p.m. – VIP Pre-Performance Party
7 p.m. – Performance
Post-Performance Dessert and Champagne
Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106
Sing Out! is a chorale performance to benefit Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Community members representing a cross-section of our community lend their voices to the Voices of Change Chorale which offers an outstanding and uplifting performance that raises awareness, inspires change and raises funds to support the Center’s work. This year’s event will honor Heather Lennox Krause, Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day, Cleveland, for her leadership in advancing the mission of the Center.
Tickets: $100-$250. Purchase online at ClevelandRapeCrisis.org/Sing-Out or call (216) 619-6194 ext. 106.
Richard & Joanne Clark
John P. Murphy Foundation
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Lauren Rich Fine
The Lubrizol Corporation
Bernie Moreno Companies
Frantz Ward LLP
Geraldine Financial Consulting
Linda M. Kane
Kulas Foundation
Nancy W. McCann
Meaden & Moore
Steven Standley
Thompson Hine LLP
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 more than 28,000 people in 2015. 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 (call/text) or www.clevelandrapecrisis.org/chat.
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CLEVELAND, OH – Cleveland Rape Crisis Center today kicks off Sexual Assault Awareness Month by launching two new ways for survivors of rape and sexual abuse to access help and support: by texting 216-619-6192 or by online chat at www.ClevelandRapeCrisis.org/chat. These services complement the Center’s Crisis and Support Hotline (216-619-6192) which it has operated since 1974.
“We are excited to launch two additional services to help survivors of rape and sexual abuse find the help and support they need to recover,” said Sondra Miller, President & CEO of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. “Now, in addition to calling our Crisis and Support Hotline at 216-619-6192, survivors, their loved ones and members of the community can text or chat with our Advocates who are here 24/7 to believe, listen and help.”
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center has operated its since its inception in 1974. The Hotline provides support and assistance for survivors of rape and sexual abuse as well as their caregivers, loved ones and members of the community. Last year, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center fielded more than 3,000 calls to its phone hotline.
These expanded services for survivors are part of program expansions funded through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program administered by the Ohio Attorney General, Crime Victims Services (read the announcement). The grant, the largest in the organization’s history, is allowing Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to expand and enhance its counseling, advocacy and outreach services for survivors of rape, sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
About Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
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 more than 28,000 people in 2015. 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 (call/text) or www.ClevelandRapeCrisis.org/chat.
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Please see a list of events in our community that Cleveland Rape Crisis Center will participate in to raise awareness about rape and sexual abuse during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Please Join Us!
I Will Find You Book Launch
Thursday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m.
The City Club of Cleveland
In 1984, Joanna Connors was thirty years old and a reporter for The Plain Dealer when she was raped at knifepoint by a stranger. Twenty years later, she went in search of the story of her own rapist, determined to find out who he was, where he came from, what his life was like – and what leads a person to do something as destructive as what he did to her. The journey is chronicled in her new book, I Will Find You.
Join us for an intimate conversation with Ms. Connors and Sondra Miller, President & CEO of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. Sales of I Will Find You will benefit Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
The event is free; please register online in advance at www.CityClub.org.
Friend of a Survivor (Carson)
Sara and Carson have been friends since before high school, but the first year they went to college, things changed. Sara lived away from home for the first time. Carson attended a different university. The distance made it more difficult for them to maintain a friendship. They had to rely on phone calls to stay up-to-date.
(Watch a video and read more about Carson.)
Years earlier during high school, Carson confided in Sara that she had been sexually abused at a young age by a friend’s father who lived on her street.
“Carson experienced a normal level of anxiety (during high school), but the new stresses of college turned her anxiety into something more,” said Sara. “Before, Carson handled it herself; she had learned to cope. But soon I started seeing symptoms that I’d never seen before.”
Panic attacks made it difficult for Carson to leave the house, which interfered with her school and job.
“We started to recognize that this problem was beyond both of us,” added Sara. Carson had not told her parents about the abuse yet and she was concerned they would find out if she talked to her primary care physician. Sara searched online for resources and they jointly decided that Cleveland Rape Crisis Center offered the most confidentiality. They scheduled a day to meet and take the bus to the Center – together.
“I had a feeling of absolute helplessness before we came to the Center,” said Sara. “I had done everything I could to offer advice. I knew Carson was unhappy, miserable and anxious. And not being able to see her made it even more difficult.”
Sara came with Carson to her first few therapy appointments at the Center. Eventually, Carson managed the trips on her own.
In the last 18 months, since they first came to the Center, Sara believes the most noticeable change in Carson is the higher level of confidence that she exhibits.
“Carson still struggles with anxiety. She still has days that are really difficult,” said Sara. “But she has the tools to deal with it now.”
Sara has grown to be quite proud of Carson, not just for the way she has overcome her own trauma, but because she is now speaking out to help other survivors.
“It is really inspiring to see Carson’s willingness to discuss her sexual assault with others. I remember when it was too painful for her to even tell me, then her parents. Now she is talking publicly – what a remarkable departure from where we were!”
There are thousands of friends in Cuyahoga County who, like Sara, are supporting survivors of sexual violence. Sara offers three pieces of advice:
It can be hard to find the right words to support a survivor. Sara learned that sometimes you don’t have to say anything. It helps to just be there – physically or emotionally.
It is important to recognize when problems are beyond what you can handle. For Sara and Carson, it was hard to convince themselves that this was more than they could handle. They learned it is okay to acknowledge when you need help.
For Sara, it was easy to lose herself in Carson’s struggles. When you are supporting a survivor day in and day out, it is okay to step back and take some time for yourself.
Sara also acknowledged that coming to the Center was not her decision. “It was up to Carson to decide,” Sara added. “My job was to know the resources and present the options without judgment. That’s what friends are for.”
YOU can become a Face of Change. Make a donation to support Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
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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