Hi friends,
Last year, the #metoo movement took us by storm, in the midst of people coming out with their stories, #metoo encouraged me to speak up about my experience as well. The story I didn't tell many people about. Right after that status, I had to shut myself down due to the reliving trauma. Luckily, I have my family and especially my mom whom took my side, trusted me and stood by me. I can only imagine people who is going through so much worse, continues to fight and to be alive. I thought I was brave until I had to delete that status, because I couldn't deal with it being public. The thing about victim is, they never forget. They can only forgive and move on.
Some of us neither forget or forgive, we want answers. An answer for me is working for Pathways for Change. I feel welcomed, understood, cared for, and in turns, taking care of other victims.
In celebration of Pathways for Change, Inc. 45th Anniversary, I am making this fundraising to help with paying fees for the victims of sexual violence:
$25 helps to provide workbooks for survivors participating in our Healing Circles
$50 pays for an hour of support counseling
$75 helps to provide comfortable sweat pants, tops and socks for survivors who have to give up their own clothes for forensics collection at the Emergency Room
$100 pays for a Counselor to support a Survivor and/or her/his loved ones at an Emergency Room
$250 provides prevention education to a High School classroom
CASH DONATION A OKAY. PLEASE CONTACT ME.
I hope you will help me achieve this goal. <33333
Kindly,
Thanh Mai
About Pathways for Change, Inc.:
Pathways for Change, Inc. was established in 1973 as the Rape Crisis Program of Worcester and incorporated in 1981. In 1993, having expanded beyond the City of Worcester to our current service area, which includes 47 cities and towns in the Greater Worcester, Leominster/Fitchburg and Gardner areas, we, appropriately, changed our name to The Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts. Ever adaptive, the Agency recognized in 2010 that the needs of our community in addressing this issue had changed. Following a period of introspection, the Agency was reborn in August, 2011 as Pathways for Change, Inc. with a renewed focus and dedication to our Mission. With a long standing record of accomplishments and a commitment to reaching the diverse communities within Central Massachusetts, Pathways is proudly one of the leading rape crisis centers in Massachusetts and has served as an example of promising practices nationally. Since opening our doors in 1973, Pathways has been committed to the development of comprehensive services to the communities within our service area. These services include 24 hour crisis intervention, support groups, counseling and advocacy for Survivors of sexual assault and abuse as well as prevention education, professional training and community outreach. We operate from a community-organizing model, realizing that real solutions to sexual violence must involve a wide range of community involvement. This is the underlying philosophy of our volunteer program as well as our work with neighborhoods, organizations, churches, schools, and collaborations with other agencies. Community organizing includes providing assistance in the aftermath of sexual assault while at the same time building our community’s competency to prevent it in a proactive and coordinated manner.
About Thanh Mai
Thanh (Nu) Mai is a Saigon-born, US-based photographer and social activist. They have always been urged by the tremendous longings from both cities to create arts in hopes of an identity. Their photography is spontaneous and intimate, to the intepretations of your own. They co-founded Vănguard zine (www.vanguardzine.com) and an independent artspace in Saigon (www.chaosdowntown.com). Thanh (Nu) Mai resides in central MA and works at Pathways for Change as their first Vietnamese counselor.
Gala Faces of Change will take place at the Holy Cross on Friday, OCT 12, 2018 :
https://www.facebook.com/events/233683387369633/
Tickets:
