Chamber president Aaron Nelson speaks at the 2014 Annual Meeting. (Photo by Susan Murray.)
The 2013 Non-Profit of the Year, presented by Triangle Community Foundation.
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center has worked to stop sexual violence and its impact in our community for 40 years. The Center provides support to survivors and their loved ones with a 24-Hour Help Line and crisis counseling. After receiving national recognition for the success of its innovative support group program, the Center collaborated with the statewide coalition to create a manual and training program for other anti-violence agencies seeking to create or expand support group offerings. The Center also offers educational programs for both raising awareness about sexual violence and teaching prevention skills. The Center’s Safe Touch program has operated in local elementary schools for more than 30 years, teaching children age-appropriate messages about personal safety. For its work training adults on preventing child sexual abuse, the Center recently received recognition as a Partner in Prevention from the Darkness 2 Light Coalition. After rapid growth in recent years, expanding its total number of clients by about 60% and increasing its number of Spanish-speaking clients by 400% in the past three years, the Center is excited to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2014 with community members, whose support is vital to providing help, hope, and healing in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and all of Orange County.