A groundhog told me that spring is coming early, and spring means one thing: the Walk for Change!
You may or may not know that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). During SAAM 2020, our Change for Chantelle team will be walking for our 4th year at the annual Walk for Change hosted by the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC). The walk will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2020, at DCR’s Constitution Beach in East Boston, MA. It will be a 2.8 mile-long celebration of continued life, and I cannot wait! This walk is not only a show of support for survivors like me, but it is also an outcry to raise awareness and to end sexual violence. All donations go directly to sexual assault survivors and support systems through the free services provided by BARCC.
BARCC was the first organization to assist me and my mum, as we adjusted to life in the wake of September 2016. I have a tendency to sum up the events of that month as follows: I was taken, I was drugged, I was beaten, I was raped, and I survived attempted homicide. Ever since, I’ve been adjusting to my identity as a survivor of traumatic brain injury (TBI), rape, and attempted homicide. My mum’s identity changed too, as she became my caregiver. We were both struggling against dehumanization and isolation when we found BARCC. They offered us 12 free counseling sessions with trauma professionals to heal. The sessions helped my mum to understand what I was experiencing, and how she could support me every day. Both of us credit BARCC with being our first lifeline outside of each other. They got us through, when nobody else knew what to do with what was happening to our lives.
The 12 free counseling sessions offered to survivors and support systems are merely one resource of many provided by BARCC. There is also a BARCC 24-hour crisis hotline we can call to reach the help we need anytime. There are also resources for legal support when we seek justice, and emotional support for survivors in the emergency room following sexual assault. BARCC also helps to rehouse survivors fleeing their homes for safety. They also offer a safe space for survivors to come together in group settings and move away from isolation. All of these services are provided free of charge, thanks in large part to the donations garnered through the Walk for Change.
In 2017, when my mum first heard about the Walk for Change, she began to assemble my support system to walk in my honor. That’s how Change for Chantelle was born. I was on bed rest then, and I was grieving all I had lost. The turnout of both walkers and donators floored me and my mum. It made me feel like my survival and my life mattered to people. It was validating for both of us, and we vowed then to fundraise and walk every year.
Our team fundraising goal has increased accordingly each year we’ve walked. As we’ve surpassed our goal each time, this fourth year will be no different. Change for Chantelle is setting our sights on raising $4,000 for the survivors assisted by BARCC this year, and we need your help to do it! We are also looking to grow our team of walkers, as we do every year! There is a link available below and on the sidebar menu above that you can follow in order to donate, or to walk with us. BARCC gave us a team promo code for walkers this year, so please comment or message me if you intend to join us on April 26th so I can give it to you.
In the coming week, a lot more will be shared about my survival story. I’ve finally healed enough to articulate what happened to me, so I sat down and wrote it out in full. That will be available on Getting Good at Running Away soon. I also sat down with Bekah and Jess of the podcast ChattyBroads and shared my story aloud for the first time. That will be available anywhere you listen to your podcasts starting on February 13th. I urge you to read my story, to listen to my story, and to share my story. I am sharing it to reassure survivors like me that they are not alone, and to warn attackers like mine that justice is coming. This is why we Walk for Change. The epidemic of sexual violence needs to end and survivors need to know support surrounds us.
I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope to celebrate with you in April.
Donate to or walk with Change for Chantelle: https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/2580185
With gratitude,
Chantelle
Survivor
Getting Good at Running Away 