Helping Survivors of Sexual Assault
We have scheduled our meetings for the rest of 2015. They’re listed on the Events page, but also listed below in case you want a quick reference.
Everyone is welcome to join us, no matter your skill level. You can come for a few minutes or for the whole time. For details about the location, check out the Events page.
Dear Threads of Compassion Volunteers,
Thank you so much for all the hard work and dedication you put into making our scarves for our program. They are always received with such joy and appreciation. So Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Best Regards, Yvonne Sharp
(This is a note from Yvonne Sharp, the Director of Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy at the YWCA Oklahoma City)
Now that we’ve been doing Threads of Compassion OKC for over 5 years it seems like a good time to share some of what has worked for us. Over the years people from lots of places have contacted me to ask about starting their own chapter. I figure that sharing what’s worked here could be helpful for others looking for a place to begin.
For us it started because I was looking for charity ideas on the Lion Brand yarn website. I’d learned to crochet with some women at church and was really enjoying crocheting but was running out of people in need of gifts. When I saw the link to the Chicago Chapter of Threads of Compassion it was easy to see that it could be a perfect fit for me. Combining my new love of crochet with my desire to continue healing as a survivor of sexual assault and being able to offer some comfort to other survivors just seemed like a great idea.
In December of 2009 I contacted the Rape Crisis Center in Oklahoma City and asked them if they had a chapter here or had heard of it. They didn’t and hadn’t, but were interested in starting. I’ll admit it was a bit intimidating for me to make that call, but the person I talked to was very encouraging and willing to give this a try with me. So, I went for it! The first delivery was some scarves I made myself during Christmas break that year, and I recruited other friends and the project grew and grew.
I designed a card to print and put with the scarves, it is a pretty simple one and at first I printed them at Office Depot on card stock using coupons I found online. I also purchased some plastic bags from a company called ULine, those have worked out well for us. The finished scarves are folded and then a card is attached with a twist tie and put into the bag that is taped closed. It makes a nice package that stacks well for storage. You can see lots of photos of our work on our Facebook page.
We started having meetings each month, I couldn’t think of a super-creative title for them so I went with”work days”. For us Sunday afternoons has been a good time and we’re able to use a classroom at a church building. It’s a convenient location with plenty of parking and no one feels pressured to buy anything like we may if we met at a coffee shop or a store. At our work days we package completed scarves, work on new ones, share pattern ideas, and enjoy meeting others who are also working on the project.
Following the work day I make arrangements with our contact at the YWCA to deliver the scarves to them. They get them delivered and stored at the hospitals so that they are available when needed.
You can do this too! If you’re wanting to get involved in your hometown here’s what I’d recommend based on what worked for me here. It’s not an exact blueprint, but a place to begin:
Some other things to think about that have come up over the years:
I’m so glad we started Threads of Compassion OKC! It has been a great thing for me, my friends, and survivors here in OKC. I hope that hearing about our experience encourages you.
You can join us in the YWCA’s 2 Minute 5K coming up in April.
Hmm, a 5K in 2 minutes? No, we’re not expecting you to run that far that fast. The name comes from the fact that in the United States someone is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes.
This event is designed to raise awareness and funds to help survivors of sexual assault here in Oklahoma.
Like previous years you can sign up to run/walk the 5K, children can do the Kiddie K, and new for this year, you can also sign up to Snooze for SAAM (sexual assault awareness month).
If you’re not into running a 5K, snoozing for SAAM allows you to be part of our team and receive the race shirt as well as help raise awareness as you wear it and share about your participation in the event.
Please sign up online to join us if you can! The race is Saturday, April 18th at Stars and Stripes Park in OKC.
We had a great time at our February work day!
Just like most months we packaged several scarves and had a great time visiting with one another.
The special thing this month was that we had a new person join us who wanted to learn to crochet. It was so cool to see her learn and make progress on the scarf she began. I’m thankful that we had a volunteer who has experience teaching other things and was willing to help our new person learn. It worked out great!
You can see pictures of most of the scarves we received this month in our Facebook album.
We meet each month and always welcome new volunteers. Please join us if you can.
A new year is a great time to be reminded that the work we are doing is making a difference. Here’s a note from an advocate who meets people at the hospital following an assault:
“Thank you for your heart felt gifts! The love you put into the scarves means so much to each one of our victims. The scarf is a reminder that they are not alone. A positive reminder they are a survivor. Thank you so much!”
YWCA Advocate
We are excited and thankful to announce that Crochet by Vanessa Rae brought 2 scarves to our last work day. These were donated in response to her offer on Etsy to buy a scarf and give a scarf. It’s such a neat program!
These 2 scarves are not only beautiful, but also very well-made. It’s nice to be able to offer such great products to our recipients. If you happen to be looking for a unique Christmas gift there is still time to order from her and donate to Threads as well as have a gift for a friend.
We have an opportunity to help the YWCA with a Christmas project.
Next month they have a Santa Store. This store is an opportunity for the families they serve to come select Christmas gifts to give their families.
If you can help volunteer at the store or are able to donate items that would make good gifts, please use the contact info below and let them know you’d like to help.
We are so excited to introduce you to Crochet by Vanessa Rae! This skilled crocheter is offering to donate scarves to Threads of Compassion when you purchase selected scarves from her. She has been volunteering with us for quite some time and has donated some beautiful scarves. When she inquired about this idea it was very easy to say YES! We knew that she would be offering great, quality scarves to those who participate in her offer.
This new initiative allows you to donate a scarf to us with each purchase of an infinity scarf. The timing is perfect for our cooler weather as well as gift-giving this holiday season. She has an Etsy store with details of the offer as well as a Facebook page with more samples of her work.
We hope you’ll check out her site and consider making a purchase.
We had a great Work Day in September!
One volunteer spent about an hour and a half packaging 51 scarves. We had 88 more scarves that were taken home to be washed and packaged in October.
There were people that stopped by to drop off scarves or yarn and visit for a few minutes. We had some that great scarves that had arrived in the mail or been dropped off at the building. Several ladies worked on some beautiful scarves that will be ready in the next month or two to be packaged and made available to offer comfort to survivors.
Thank you to each person who joined us in September, we look forward to seeing you again soon!