Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2024

Each year in April we join the national effort recognize and promote Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) by accepting proclamations from key governmental offices, hosting campaigns on school campuses, providing educational presentations and displays, and participating in numerous community events throughout Napa County.

The theme of Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2024 is “Building Connected Communities.” This April's campaign calls on all individuals, organizations, and institutions to create strong, connected communities that take care of one another and make decisions to ensure the safety and well-being of others to end sexual violence.

How is SAVS recognizing SAAM?

Check out the various activities below – and be a part of the movement!

PROCLAMATIONS

Each year, officials from the cities of Napa, St. Helena, Calistoga, and American Canyon, the town of Yountville, and the Napa County Board of Supervisors declare their support of SAAM with a Proclamation at one of the meetings in the month of April. NEWS representatives receive them with gratitude and humility, and know that we are not alone in our efforts to bring awareness to and prevent sexual violence.

WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES®

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is Sunday, April 14th at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Napa from 1 – 3 pm. There is an old saying: "You can't understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." To get people listening, learning, and talking, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® events organize around men literally walking one mile in women's high-heeled shoes. Join NEWS and our community partners as we share resources and ways you can support survivors and build a connected community. All are welcome! Registration is only $10 for individuals and $120+ for teams.

NEWS and its partners are thankful for the support of the following sponsors
of the 2024 Walk A Mile in Her Shoes!

Stiletto/Presenting Sponsor

Soroptimist International Clubs of Napa Valley

Pump Sponsor
Kass Simon, NEWS Board Member

Kitten Sponsor
JGS Distributing

COMMUNITY AWARENESS INITIATIVES

SAAM Window Display at DA Office in Napa
- Display located at 1127 First Street, across from Dwight Murray Plaza throughout the month of April!
“What Were You Wearing?” Display at Napa Valley College
- Display will be available for viewing at the NVC McCarthy Library and NVC Café throughout the month of April!
- See story about previous “What Were You Wearing?” display HERE
Radio Awareness Ads on KVYN and KVON
- Tune into Napa’s local radio stations to hear from our SAVS team how you can support survivors this SAAM. Didn’t hear it? Listen below!
  - English:
  - Spanish:
Dine and Donate on Friday April 12th and Saturday April 13th at Mountain Mikes
- Hungry for a cause? Let’s raise some dough! Mention NEWS when you order from Mountain Mikes in Napa all day on Friday April 12th and Saturday April 13th and we’ll receive 20% of sales! See HERE for more.
Denim Day on April 24th
- Wear jeans to take a stand against victim-blaming in honor of Denim Day! Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore “tight jeans.” The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that she had to have helped her assailant remove them, implying consent. People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault. Join NEWS and people across the globe in wearing denim on April 24th to show solidarity with survivors and take a stand against victim blaming. Flood social media with photos of your denim using #denimday and tag NEWS @news4peace. Learn more about the movement HERE.
Tabling and outreach at Pacific Union College and other community locations throughout the month!

SAVS STARS

We love our partners! SAVS Stars are partners in the community that work closely with SAVS to provide vital services to clients. This year, we are highlighting three individuals who make a huge difference in lives of our SAVS clients.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Coloring Pages!

Download one of our Zoom backgrounds!

Just click on the thumbnail below that you would like to download. Once the larger image appears on your screen, right-click on the image and choose "Save image as..." from the dropdown menu. Save the image to your device and set it as your Zoom background for the month of April!

Click HERE if you don't know how to use a virtual background in a Zoom room.

COMMUNITY AWARENESS INITIATIVES

During the 2nd Annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Napa Valley, 14 local partners participated in our Connected Community tabling event. Please find below the names and website of these partners who offer resources to our community:

What Were You Wearing?

“What Were You Wearing?” is an art exhibit based on student-survivor descriptions of the clothes they were wearing during their sexual assault. This installation provides a tangible response to one of our culture’s most pervasive sexual assault myths and asks participants to understand that sexual assault is never about the clothing. Click on the links below to view graphic representations of the exhibit.