This Saturday, join the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center to raise awareness during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“Together we act, united we change.” That’s the theme of this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, nationally observed every April. It’s also what the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center seeks to accomplish with its annual Walking with Survivors fundraiser on Saturday, April 12, from 3–6 p.m.
Join the RDVIC on a family-friendly, pet-friendly one-mile walk through downtown, beginning and ending at the Morgantown Market Place pavilion, to support the center’s operations and raise awareness. If you’d like the true experience of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, the center will have shoes available.
The RDVIC got its start in 1973 as West Virginia’s first rape crisis center and opened the state’s first domestic violence shelter five years later. The center has supported Morgantown for more than 50 years, providing counseling, advocacy, and shelter services. In 2024, it served more than 700 clients across Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties, and the walk saw more than 200 participants.
“During last year’s walk, we were stopped more than once by people thanking us for walking. It is such a small act, but it means so much to people who have experienced sexual violence,” says RDVIC Prevention Educator Kay Powney. “It heightens community awareness of issues surrounding sexual violence, which creates momentum for positive change in our communities.”
A reception will follow Saturday’s walk, featuring refreshments, music, a silent auction, and prizes. Registration is $20.
Then, throughout the month of April, keep an eye out for RDVIC’s Coffee Sleeve Project at locations across Mon, Preston, and Taylor counties, including Morgantown’s AntiquiTea House, The Grind, Monkey Wrench Books, The Tea Shoppe, and WVU coffee shops.
Keep up with RDVIC on Facebook for updates about future events, like Domestic Violence Awareness Month, in October.
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