We are seeking individuals dedicated to human rights and who is willing to work tirelessly to grow our organization and inspire the next leaders of the movement to end sexual violence.  The hours will be long, the rewards will be tremendous – but so will the challenges. Your work ethic should be above and beyond, and the words “figure it out” should sound like an exciting challenge to you.  You’ll need to work well both independently and collaboratively, across a large and diverse area and you’ll need to be ok with doing everything from cleaning the office to giving a presentation.  All personnel collect data, meet daily, weekly, and monthly deadlines, and are able to navigate both small and large projects.  Your success in this agency will be integral to the success of the organization, and you will work closely with the team to serve our community with excellence and integrity.

Download Application from our website: www.rcasa.org  and email to  jobs@rcasa.org 

Current positions open:
Case Management/Counseling Coordinator -  
Full-time or two part-time postions.  Preferences include: Masters degree, licensed or licensed-eligible in the state of Virginia, art therapy degree, bi-lingual Spanish/English.  Experience working in rape crisis centers or with survivors of sexually violent crimes and abuse.  This position will require flexibility to organize SART’s, manage interns, and provide direct victim services.

Crisis Responders/Advocates (Intervention Services) – day, weekend and overnight shifts are available.  Bi-lingual Spanish/English needed.  This position pays on a split rate, one for being on-call and one for responding to a hotline call or hospital accompaniment.  Bachelors degree and 2 years experience on a rape crisis hotline preferred. Associates degree or Bachelors degree in process required.

RCASA is an equal opportunity employer.  All personnel employed or volunteering for the agency are required to have reliable transportation available during your work schedule, reliable cellular service, be willing to work variable hours and stay on projects until completed.  All applicants must complete pre-employment back-ground checks and drug testing.  RCASA serves a diverse community and hires a diverse workforce.  RCASA does not discriminate due to age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression or any protected status.

 
Volunteer Positions
to apply for a volunteer position, please download volunteer application.  Send in application.  You may attach resume if desired.  Email to  volunteer This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it @rcasa.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 
Level III – Crisis Responder/Victim Advocates to provide support to the hotline and medical accompaniment program.   Bi-lingual in Spanish/English needed, Bachelor’s degree and experience in a rape crises center preferred.  Ability to work variable shifts: day, evening, weekends and holidays required.  Volunteers must complete an initial 40 hours training, participate in quarterly update trainings annually, and attend monthly volunteer meetings. 
Level II – Information and Resources Volunteers to provide support at community health fairs and events, general presentations, and fundraising events.  Volunteer experience in community relations preferred.  Volunteers must complete an initial 25 hours training, participate in quarterly update trainings annually and monthly volunteer meetings.
Level I – Office Volunteers to provide general help with mailings, presentation and outreach preparation, phone support, research, blogging, and other office duties.  Experience in office support services preferred.  Volunteers must complete 10 hours of initial training, participate in quarterly update trainings annually, and attend monthly volunteer meetings.

Priority Areas for those interested in sexual or domestic violence related legislation.

1. Protect Funding for Crisis and Safety Services – While it is good news that the adopted budget in the 2012 session does not propose any additional reductions in funding for sexual and domestic violence services, unfortunately the adopted budget uses one-time fund balances to restore $1.2 million in funding for domestic violence services that was at risk due to changes in the administration and availability of TANF funds. These one-time funds will not be available in 2014 or beyond. Thus, the $1.2 million in funding for the core services will be eliminated when this short-term solution is no longer available unless other funds are allocated for these purposes.

2. “Peace Begins at Home” specialized interest license plate – DEFEATED. These bills were continued to 2013 because the required 450 pre-paid applications were not collected. These bills would have authorized the issuance of revenue-sharing special license places bearing the legend: PEACE BEGINS AT HOME to support the programs of the Action Alliance for the prevention of sexual and domestic violence in Virginia. Help us get this passed next year. Sign up to buy a license plate through your local Virginia center or the Action Alliance.

3. Enhance the Prosecution of Strangulation – PASSED! These bills make strangulation a felony in Virginia. The law provides that any person who, without consent, impedes the blood circulation or respiration of another person by knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully applying pressure to the neck, causing wounding or bodily injury is guilty of a Class 6 felony.

4. Improve Virginia’s Response to Sexual Assault on College Campuses – PASSED!
SB 302 (Senator Howell) & HB 965 (Delegate Rob Bell) – These bills require campus police to enter into mutual aid agreements with a local law-enforcement agency or the state police for cooperation in providing assistance with the investigation of deaths and alleged rapes occurring on college campuses. These bills do not mandate any one law enforcement to take the lead over another.
SB 301 (Senator Howell) & HB 969 (Delegate Rob Bell) – These bills add chiefs of campus police located within the jurisdiction to the list of persons the Attorney for the Commonwealth must invite to the annual meeting to establish guidelines for a coordinated response to sexual assault.

5. Strengthen the Enforcement of Federal Firearm Prohibitions for Persons Convicted of Domestic Violence SB 224 (Senator Herring) – DEFEATED – This bill would have created a way to differentiate charges and convictions for assault and battery that involved the use of physical force from convictions for assault and battery that did not involve physical force. This change in law is needed to apply federal firearm prohibitions appropriately to persons convicted of assault and battery of a family or household member due to federal court decision, U.S. v. White, issued in 2010.

Information provided from The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. Contact Kristine Hall at 804-377-0335 or khall@vsdvalliance.org for more information.

More reports on tomorrow’s blog…

I am seeking to do portraits of individuals who are survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. I want to collect stories of surviving, healing, and thriving. If you would like to be a subject, contact me at olson.carolann@gmail.com.

Send me your story, photos of you if you are comfortable with that, stories of your healing and where you are now. I plan to exhibit or show what I create once completed in some form.

I look forward to the stories..

Get the new GoodApp (formerly GoodToolbar) for FireFox or IE, and never miss the opportunity to earn donations for Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault – RCASA when you search and shop online.

 

The new GoodApp features:

  • Personalized Amount Raised – If you’re registered, this feature shows your personal amount raised
  • New Donation & Coupon Alert – Get top coupon offers & donation reminders when you browse to a store’s website.
  • GoodCoupons Widget – Browse coupons by category for over 2,500 top merchants.

 

Help Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault – RCASA win $1,000

 

You can help win a bonus donation for your cause in the $5000 GoodApp Giveaway when you get the new GoodApp. GoodSearch will be donating:

  • $1,000 to the cause that downloads the most GoodApps
  • $500 to the three causes that are runners-up
  • $50 to the first 50 causes that reach 50*

This contest began at 12:01am Eastern on April 1 and ends on April 30, 2012 at 11:59pm Eastern. So spread the word with friends, family and other supporters to help your cause win!

 

In 2010, Sexual Assault Crisis Centers in Virginia…

  • responded to 61,860 hotline calls
  • offered 50,949 hours of advocacy services to 4,903 adults
  • provided 26,570 hours of advocacy services to 2,123 children

Survivors of sexual violence who have received advocacy services from Virginia’s Sexual Assault Crisis Centers have said the following:

“I feel so strong when I am here. I feel safe, supported, and not judged.   I have more tools to help me be safe and happy in my life.”

 “My children are getting the help they need.”

 “Everything about this experience has been positive. I have learned more about myself, who I am, and what I really want in life for me and my children and have been able to set goals for myself to better our future!

  I loved my advocate. She was there for me from the beginning of it all, causing me to feel supported!!!

 “The support group was the most positive experience. I really, really had a need to hear from other women who are survivors of sexual abuse.”

  “It’s rewarding to feel good about myself and the services I’ve received have given me back my confidence.”

 Source of all data on this fact sheet: VAdata: The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Data Collection System, 2010.

 

Sexual assault affects every community in Virginia

 Nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetime while 1 in 71 men have been raped in their lifetime. 1

 Approximately 80% of female victims experienced their first rape before the age of 25 and almost half ex­perienced the first rape before age 18 (30% between 11-17 years old and 12% at or before the age of 10). 28% of male victims of rape were first raped when they were 10 years old or younger.2

 Sexual assault profoundly affects children and teens

 56% of youth report experiences of sexual assault and coercion. 

In 2010, Sexual Assault Crisis Centers in Virginia…3

  • responded to 61,860 hotline calls
  • offered 50,949 hours of advocacy services to 4,903 adults
  • provided 26,570 hours of advocacy services to 2,123 children

  

You can help too…

  Three out of four people affected by sexual violence turn to family and friends for help before contacting a Sexual Assault Crisis Center.4

 

1 -2  National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published December, 2011.

3-4      VAdata: The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Data Collection System, 2010.

Help Pass VAWA

Posted: March 5, 2012 in Legislative Alerts

Posting from http://4vawa.org/ 

TELL CONGRESS THAT S. 1925, THE REAL VAWA, IS EVERYONE’S VAWA AND MUST BE PASSED!

S. 1925, the “real” VAWA, has 57 Senate sponsors – Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) signed on as a sponsor today!!!  We have set March 20th—the first day of spring—to reach our goal of 60 filibuster-proof sponsors.  We have 3 more to go.  Last week, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mark Udall (D-CO) signed.  Please thank our 3 new co-sponsors!  We can do this! 

VAWA has always been intended to serve ALL survivors.  Every version of the bill since 1994 has worked to improve awareness about and expansion of prevention programs and the provision of services that included all victims of sexual, domestic, dating and stalking violence. 

Read more about how S. 1925 enhances protections for underserved populations on our VAWA Fact Sheets page. Underserved populations are those who are provided with inadequate or non-existent services.  Since 1994, VAWA has been about opening doors for all victims of sexual and domestic violence who have historically been ignored or provided with inadequate or substandard treatment and services – whether due to insufficient funds and scarce resources or discriminatory practices. The Leahy/Crapo Bill (S.1925) continues this intent by offering a gateway for greater reach to all victims by: an improved definition of underserved; an enhanced underserved populations grant program; and specific supports throughout VAWA for underserved populations. When you talk with your Senators, please tell them to support S. 1925 because it opens doors for allvictims! 

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Suggested actions for this week include:

  1. Reach our goal for 60 Senate co-sponsors!  If your Senator is not a VAWA sponsor, call them at their Hill office, ask for the staff person who handles VAWA and offer to help them convince their Senator to sponsor S. 1925. 
  2. Ask Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to schedule a vote on VAWA!
  3. Tweet for VAWA – Join the twitter carnival for #ReauthorizeVAWA on Wednesday, March 7th at 12pm EST, 11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST

Action 1:  If  your Senator is one of the 43 who are NOT sponsors of VAWA, call their office today and ask them to co-sponsor S. 1925: When you call, tell your Senator that only S. 1925 represents real, critical, lifesaving protections for ALL victims and all other versions fall short. Check out our new talking points here about why S. 1925 is the only REAL VAWA. Go to theTHOMAS (Library of Congress), select search by bill number, and type in the bill S.1925 for a list of sponsors and thank your Senator if he/she is already a co-sponsor.  Don’t panic if the latest sponsors aren’t there – it takes a few days for their names to be posted.

Suggested Senators who should be a VAWA sponsor:

6 Senators have been VAWA sponsors in the past.  Maybe they just need to be reminded and for sure they need to be persuaded. VAWA programs and services are under-funded and under attack.  It’s time to step up for victims of sexual assault and dating, domestic and stalking violence.  Cochran, Thad  (R-MS), Cornyn, John (R-TX), Grassley, Chuck (R-IA), Hatch, Orrin (R-UT), Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX),  Snowe, Olympia (R-ME)

There are Senators who have expressed interest in (or should care about) VAWA and some have been supportive of program funding and services in the past. Ask them to step up to this crisis: Alexander, Lamar (R-TN), Ayotte, Kelly  (R-NH), Enzi, Michael (R-WY), Graham, Lindsey (R-SC), Heller, Dean (R-NV), Kyl, Jon  (R-AZ), and Lugar, Richard (R-IN).

Action 2: Call Senator Reid’s office with this message:

We need Senator Reid to continue to be our champion for the whole country. Please sponsor the Violence Against Women Act and schedule S. 1925 for a floor vote as soon as possible.”

If you are not from Nevada call the DC office:              202-224-3542       DC
If you are from Nevada call the Reno office:             775-686-5750      

Action 3: Participate in the #ReauthorizeVAWA Twitter Carnival on Wednesday, March 7th at 12pm EST, 11am CST, 10am MST, 9am PST

HUGE thanks to all who all who have been tweeting about VAWA.  Now we need to make #ReauthorizeVAWA a trending topic on twitter. In order to do that we need a lot of people to tweet messages including the hashtag #ReauthorizeVAWA in a SHORT amount of time.

The bigger a splash we can make by sharing this, the better! 
You can help us trend #ReauthorizeVAWA by tweeting this message on Wednesday, March 7th at noon EST.  Here are some sample tweets:

  • We urge all Senators to support the real #VAWA that helps all victims- S. 1925. #ReauthorizeVAWA now! 4vawa.org
  • Bring the real VAWA to the Senate floor for a vote NOW. #ReauthorizeVAWA now! 4vawa.org

If you can’t/won’t be in front of your computers or hand-helds at noon you can still send out the post on twitter at noon by signing up at Hoot Suite  and scheduling your message to post on March 7 at noon (just make sure you’re time settings are for EST).  During the Twitter Carnival, you should also retweet and respond to the twitters of others – always including #ReauthorizeVAWA.

Thanks for the terrific tweets already out there! 

Also, be sure to check out and “like” our Facebook page where you can find a toolkit and other action and information items.

If you aren’t on one of the VAWA email lists or want to add members of your staff or state/community leaders to our grassroots alerts e-mailing list, send names and contact information including email to Sean Black, sblack@icasa.org.