Celebrating Comunidades Unidas: 2018 Partner of the Year
The Rape Recovery Center is thrilled to announce our 2018 Partner of the Year, Comunidades Unidas (CU), who will be honored at this years Hope and Healing Gala on June 8th. The mission of Comunidades Unidas/Communities United is to empower Latinos to recognize and achieve their own potential and be a positive force for change in the larger community. CU’s programs focus on preventative health, community organizing, family well-being, and immigration rights/services. The critical work that CU does touches the lives of thousands of individuals annually.
Comunidades Unidas staff, Promotoras, and volunteers in 2017
Through our partnership with Comunidades Unidas, the Rape Recovery Center has been able to expand our reach to Latinx communities and survivors. This partnership has enriched every level of service at our agency, with collaborations in client services, outreach, and long-term coalition building. Rape Recovery Center Advocacy Coordinator Katherine Aguilera states “Communities United personifies grassroots advocacy. As an agency, they take on a community voice and speak for those who are scared, alone and hidden. CU works to empower the voices of those who are most vulnerable. They have shown a commitment to our agency, and have helped us bridge a gap. Through our partnership, we have seen a tremendous increase in accessibility and knowledge about our services. They've assisted in the de-stigmatizing of sexual assault. Through their contribution, healing from sexual assault has become a reality for many."
We have seen the impact of this partnership in the number of Latinx survivors reaching out for our services, which has grown by nearly 10% since our collaboration began in 2016. The importance of this partnership is critical when we consider that 50% of Latina's will experience sexual violence in their lifetimes (NISVS, 2010) and that nearly 20% of Salt Lake County residents are Latinx. Rape Recovery Center Client Liaison and advocate Emma Zevallos shares the impact that the partnership with CU has on the lives of the survivors she serves, stating “Estoy muy agradecida de poder colaborar con Comunidades Unidas, tuvimos una interaccion donde en conjunto ayudamos a un cliente. Logramos tener exito al ayudar a esa familia y me hizo sentir muy feliz y agradecida de que Comunidades Unidas ayude a la comunidad Latina. Valoro mucho su trabajo, y orgullosa de poder trabajar con ustedes. Lo que hacen por la comunidad es realmente especial y apreciamos su dedicacion y apoyo. Si se puede! Gracias.”
The Rape Recovery Center extends a huge thank you to all of the staff, board and volunteers at Comunidades Unidas for the important work they do to support and empower Utah's Latinx community. We look forward to highlighting the important partnership between Conunidades Unidas and the Rape Recovery Center at the upcoming Hope and Healing Gala. We hope you will join us on June 8th as we celebrate hope, healing, and recovery and raise funds for the critical work of supporting survivors and ending sexual violence in Utah. Buy your tickets today!