This October the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, otherwise known as RACS, is again our Charity of the Month. I asked Pam Otto, Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator, to share a few words on RACS and its mission:

Since 1980, the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service has been providing many needed services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking – all confidential and at no cost to the clients. RACS has a beautiful 36-bed shelter with laundry and dining facilities, and a wonderful play area for the kids. They offer food, clothing, personal care items, and other necessities to the families who come there for safety. The need for this service has increased dramatically, as the number of bed nights provided has risen 55{d855275bb5a53a691922ddbe09fd77e36a4f35d1f88aaf3bcf40ae4b44ffef7b} since 2006. Group, individual, and outreach counseling are available for adult and child shelter clients, as well as individuals from the community, to help them cope with the violence that has been a part of their lives. A legal advocate assists victims through the legal processes and with filing for orders of protection where needed. Other advocacy services include accompaniment to the hospital for victims of battering or rape and providing crisis intervention and emotional support both within Jefferson City and in our outlying counties. RACS offers a hotline that is available 24/7 for support of individuals in crisis as well as to help victims assess their situations and options, to provide referrals, and to offer support and information to those who want to help someone in an abusive situation. Additionally, RACS provides outreach education presentations tailored to specific needs on subjects such as Dynamics of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Date Rape Prevention, Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships, and Good Touch/Bad Touch. RACS is able to offer these services to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse with the support provided by this community. In return, providing victims with the opportunity to regain confidence, control, and direction in their lives helps keep our community strong.

I also asked Pam to share some of the pressing needs at RACS. She stated that they are really desperate right now for volunteers to help with childcare for their Thursday evening Domestic Violence Support Group. Right now, they have 43 people in shelter, and 30 of those are kids. (Both of those numbers are records for them!) Their current childcare volunteers are wearing out, as you might imagine; they need a bit of relief! They could also use more help with their donations on Tuesdays, or even with grocery shopping on the weekend. Although they use volunteers in each of these areas every week, they don’t expect an every-week commitment from volunteers. Donation-wise, their greatest needs at present are for laundry detergent (regular and HE), kitchen and bathroom cleaning products, sugar, cooking oil, diapers (especially sizes 3, 4, and 5), and baby wipes. They’ll be doing Christmas Family Adoptions again this year, too, and will have opportunities available there for other donations as well. If anyone is interested in helping through volunteering or by making a donation, they can contact Pam at 634-8346, ext. 7. Your patronage of the Laser & Vein Center helps support this cause, but if you would like to help on your own I know they would be happy to have you!