In this month's newsletter, we cover:

• Women's History Month
• Developmental Disability Awareness Month
• Social Work Month
• March Dates to Remember
• Teal Talk Episode
• Apply to Join Our Team
• Annual Conference Save the Date
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month Toolkit
• Advocacy Day and T-Shirt Campaign
• Upcoming Trainings, Events, & Meetings
• Works in Progress
• OAESV in the News
• Support Ohio Survivors
• OAESV Job Board
• Community Corner

March is Women's History Month

March is Women’s History Month, and the theme for 2024, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” celebrates and honors women who understand the importance of eliminating bias and discrimination from our lives and institutions, as well as those speaking up, standing up, and leading the way for positive change. ⁠

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We couldn’t agree more. We must include ALL women in our empathy, discussions, and definitions of womanhood. True progress requires the inclusion of every voice.⁠

March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month

Despite the prevalence of developmental disabilities— 1 in 10 children according to the CDC—there are still many challenges faced by individuals living with these conditions, and one us advocates know all too well.

More than 90 percent of people with developmental disabilities will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lives. Forty-nine percent will experience 10 or more abusive incidents (Valenti-Hein & Schwartz, 1995). Additionally, many people with developmental disabilities are not able to give consent to sexual relationships because of cognitive and/or communication limitations.

This Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, let's educate ourselves, support one another, and work towards creating a more inclusive and accessible world for all. There are many ways in which people with and without disabilities can come together to form strong, diverse communities where everyone can do well and succeed.

March is Social Work Month

Thank you to all social workers, especially those who work with survivors of sexual violence. You are making a real and lasting impact on the world, and we are grateful for all that you do.

We hope you can take a moment too acknowledge and give yourself credit for all it took to get where you are today and for all the ways in which you support others on a regular basis. You are needed and appreciated more than you know. Keep on being the unsung heroes that you are!

March Dates to Remember

Events/Holidays

Employee Appreciation Day (March 1)

World Teen Mental Wellness Day (March 2)

This day aims to normalize conversations and dismantle stigmas around teen mental health issues.

International Women's Day (March 8)

A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

National Equal Pay Day (March 12)

The symbolic day is dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap. This date symbolizes how far into the year the average median woman must work in order to have earned what the average median man had earned the entire previous year

Trans Day of Visibility (March 31)

A day for celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

Religious/Cultural Observations

Ramadan (Begins March 10)

Muslims fast from food or drink from dawn to dusk (sunrise to sunset) since this is the holy month. There are also 5 daily prayers done on a prayer mat facing Kahba in Saudi Arabia. This act is to remind them of the less fortunate and to be thankful for what they have.

Orthodox Lent (Begins March 18)

Begins on the Julian Calendar Ash Wednesday and goes to the Holy Saturday. It last for 40 days and is a time for fasting and prayer.

Nowruz/Afghan New Year/Persian New Year/Iranian New Year (March 21)

This marks the beginning of Spring. Family and friends come together to feast. People stay up on the 20th until midnight to celebrate the new year. During the day of Nowruz, people celebrate by coming together and eating foods such as herbed rice and fish.

Holi (March 24)

This is one of the most known Hinduism holy days, and it celebrates the arrival of spring and new life. This lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Full Moon Day.

Palm Sunday (March 24)

Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before Easter. The crowd waved palm branches to honor Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

Purim (March 24)

This holiday celebrates the rescue of Jews by Esther from a plot to kill them. Fasting the day before Purim honors the fasting of Esther before her plea to the king for the Jewish people.

Good Friday (March 29)

This Christian holiday honors Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Many different Christian denominations observe this holy day. From noon to 3 pm, it is known as the Service of the Great Three Hours’ Agony, where it is believed Jesus died at the cross.

March Teal Talk Episode

The Power of Providing Choices to Survivors with OAESV's Managing LAV Attorney Stephanie B. Scalise

This episode is a reminder of the power of asking someone, "What would you like?"

As advocates, we know this work all comes down to consent - or lack thereof. When survivors decide to pursue the legal system, they may not be ready for just how often they will feel like the concept of choice is being taken away from them. That's why trauma-informed advocates and attorneys are the real key to making change. In March's episode, we are joined by OAESV's Managing LAV Attorney Stephanie B. Scalise, who oversees our Legal Clinic. This Clinic is proud to stand as Ohio’s only legal services provider dedicated to solely to protecting the rights of survivors of sexual violence. The Clinic bridges the gap in services for survivors of sexual violence who are often left out of other legal services programs.

We're Hiring!

We're looking for a Senior Accountant who shares our commitment to comprehensive responses and rape crisis services for survivors. If you're passionate about making a positive impact in the non-profit world, this might just be your dream job. Learn more at oaesv.org/employment.

2024 Conference Save the Date: June 25-27

*Us energetically scribbling 2024 conference into our calendars* ✏️📒 Will we see you there?!

Registration acoming soon!

SAAM Digital Toolkit is LIVE!

Are you ready for Sexual Assault Awareness Month? No? No sweat. We've got your back! The OAESV SAAM toolkit is LIVE! Visit oaesv.org/SAAMToolkit for an abundance of resources meant to support you in preparing for April and engaging your community.

OAESV Members, a printed version of this toolkit is coming to your mailbox soon!

OAESV's 12th Annual Advocacy Day

Gear Up for Advocacy Day

Register today for OAESV's 12th Annual Advocacy Day!

This is an amazing opportunity to build community, take action, and communicate directly with lawmakers to elevate the voices of survivors and sexual violence prevention efforts in Ohio!

Register, order your Advocacy Day gear, and learn more at oaesv.org/advocacyday

Advocacy Day Prep Webinar

Join OAESV for our Annual Advocacy Day Prep Webinar. We recommend everyone who has signed up or is interested in signing up for OAESV Advocacy Day Legislative Meetings attend or view this webinar. Learn about policy advocacy, learn how to work with your meeting group, and prepare for your upcoming legislative meetings. Please register even if you're not able to attend.

The webinar will be recorded and sent to all registrants afterward. The live webinar will include automatic English Captioning. If you have additional questions please email egemar@oaesv.org. 

Mark Your Calendars!

2024 Training & Event Calendar

Thank you so much to everyone who attended one of our trainings/ events in 2023.

In our effort to build a strong, coordinated response in the anti-violence movement, OAESV has reviewed your feedback from those events and designed intentional programming for 2024!

Collective Calls

*members only*

There is power and strength in a collective! These monthly meetings are opportunities for members to build community and strength as we work together to end sexual violence. With a rotating focus each month, Collective Calls will feature in-service trainings, program spotlights, and spaces to connect with those who do similar work across the state of Ohio.

Program Spotlight - 03/21/24 (10am-11am)

Legal Clinic Virtual Office Hours

The OAESV Legal Clinic hosts virtual office hours for survivors and advocates. This is a safe space to connect with an attorney for resources or a brief consultation.

Monthly clinic hours are:

• the 2nd Thursday of the month from 12pm to 2pm
• the 4th Tuesday of the month from 4pm to 6pm

Call or text 216-282-1559 to connect. 

Works in Progress

This section in our newsletter is a more proactive way to share what technical assistance items and projects OAESV is working on to support local program efforts!

• OAESV and ODVN will host the second annual OCCAP Summer Summit this July. This all-day, in-person meeting will feature a keynote address, a panel discussion, and breakout spaces for advocates and preventionists working on college and university campuses. The date, location, and speakers are yet to be announced.

• Our Survivor Coordinator, Shelby Lieber, is prepping for presenting at TDIM, NOVA, and NSAC.

• The grants team is currently in a phase of writing for our federal grants, specifically the federal grants we receive from the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW). We recently submitted our LAV grant, and will be writing for OVW-Rural and the CDC RPE grants due in April. 

• The Resource & Communications team is working on the final drafs of our 2023 Annual Report.

• All hands are on deck to prepare for the launch o2024 conference registration! 

OAESV in the News

Support Ohio Survivors

Giving back sure does feel good. ❤️ Join us in doing all of the above and more at oaesv.org/donate. Thanks to your amazing support, we can keep showing up for survivors every single day.

OAESV's Job Board

Are you or someone you know looking for employment? There are many open positions at rape crisis centers, sexual violence coalitions, and other allied organizations in Ohio and beyond! Please visit oaesv.org/employment and share with your networks.

To post a job opportunity, please email Laurie Hamame, lhamame@oaesv.org

Community Corner

Want to add a message to our newsletter? Please email Laurie Hamame at Lhamame@oaesv.org at least 7 days prior to the first of the month with the details of your message request. Examples include event invitations and calls for proposals.

Pat Risser RSVP Conference

Join the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Ashland County team, mental health professionals in our region, and other community leaders for the annual Pat Risser RSVP Conference! Each year, guests hear from keynote and plenary speakers on a wide range of contemporary mental health issues, engaging in dialogue together and connecting around contemporary issues in mental health.

ICESAHT Conference Proposals

The Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking invites you to submit a presentation proposal for our upcoming virtual conference “Many Voices IN One Movement”! The conference will take place September 17-18, 2024.

16th Annual SAAM Conference



Registration is now open for the 16th Annual SAAM Conference, themed “Shattering the Silence: Empowering the Voices of those Unheard”. This year’s conference promises to be an empowering and enlightening experience, featuring insightful discussions, engaging workshops, and impactful presentations.

Please note that in-person registration ends on March 22nd and virtual registration ends on April 5th.

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GG-00917-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, to the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.