Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE), Inc. is writing in appreciation and celebration of college students and young professionals in Juneau who have made significant efforts to support AWARE’s intervention and prevention work.
This spring, the University of Alaska Southeast Student Activities Board voted unanimously to donate their annual Polar Plunge funds to AWARE. The students raised over $2,000 for us, which funded AWARE’s Clothesline Project that you may have seen on display during April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Funds were used to purchase t-shirts and art supplies to decorate and hang the clothesline project (individual expressions of pain and healing). Thank you UAS students for valuing the work AWARE does in our community!
This summer the Juneau Rotaract Club hosted a Christmas in July fundraiser at the Hangar Ballroom with auction item and entrance fee funds shared between their organization and AWARE, raising over $4,000 for AWARE! The Capital City Rotaract is a group of young professionals of Juneau aged 18 to 30, with the purposes of community service, professional and leadership development, social networking and ensuring fun in the process. AWARE’s community services manager Britta Tonnessen was invited to one of the club meetings and left thoroughly impressed by the number of engaged young professionals (nearly 30), the leadership of president Alex Brown in running the meeting, the quality of presentation of the Rotarian who presented on his professional and personal development tips and by the dedication of the group to the cause of community well-being.
An important question is why are these young adults unanimously voting to dedicate their spare time to raise money for AWARE? Perhaps it’s because, according to statistics on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in three women are sexually assaulted or have survived attempted rape while studying at universities. Additionally, the 2011 Alaska Victimization survey showed that in Juneau, 55 percent of women have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes.
Many of the Rotaracts and UAS students were born and/or raised in Juneau and have known AWARE’s work since childhood. The result has been young adults engaging in their community, partnering with our social change organization to bring wellness and well-being to the families we serve and the community we live in. To learn more about AWARE, please visit our website at awareak.org or call us at 907-586-6623..
Thank you UAS Student Activities Board and Juneau Rotaracts!
Saralyn Tabachnick
Executive Director, AWARE, Inc.
