By Renee Bradshaw

Special to the Salisbury Post

If you’ve been anywhere on social media recently, you’re certain to have seen the hashtag #MeToo.

#MeToo. Two mundane words, brought together to show the prevalence of sexual assault across the world today. The words are a rallying cry of victims who may or may not have previously been too afraid to open up about what they experienced or to pursue assistance and healing.

To those in our area, raising your hand, voicing your cry: Family Crisis Council sees you.

Family Crisis Council has been working for over 40 years to help victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking get back on their feet, take control of their lives and start a violence-free life. We work to empower victims, letting them know that they are not alone and that they have both the power and right to pursue justice and healing.

Our work would not be possible without organizations like the United Way.

United Way provides Family Crisis Council with 20 percent of our annual budget. In 2016 and with this assistance, we provided 99 women, children and men emergency shelter. We answered 712 crisis calls and served 2,859 individuals across our county through our wide array of services: from court advocacy and hospital response to group sessions and community education.

Family Crisis Council represents one of 16 local human service agencies receiving invaluable aid from United Way. Its impact extends far beyond the monetary. Whether it is contributing local volunteers through its Day of Caring or connecting those in need with local human service organizations through 211, United Way turns dollars into palpable and positive community change across Rowan County.

Through contributions from United Way, Family Crisis Council can surround our victims with a network of support services. United Way enables us to provide transportation and relocation in times of crisis, to supply our clients individual and group counseling and more. We were even fortunate enough to be chosen as a Day of Caring recipient this year, with volunteers from Godley’s Garden Center providing landscaping services at our new community office location.

United Way helps us speak up and speak out and empower our clients to do the same. In doing so, we seek to break the cycle of abuse in our county and decrease the number of future generations responding #MeToo.

Help us achieve this by making a United Way donation today. Mail your check to 1930 Jake Alexander Blvd. W., Salisbury, NC 28147, or visit rowanunitedway.org to donate online.

Renee Bradshaw is executive director of the Family Crisis Council.