¡Adelante! - Staff member wins grant to reach underserved population

We are extremely proud to announce that one of our own, Ethel Magaña-Lopez has been awarded a community-based project grant through the City of San Antonio (COSA) Grant Challenge at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Ethel has served as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at The Rape Crisis Center since April 2015. Not only does Ethel work hard supporting survivors at our center, but she goes above and beyond to pursue projects like this grant in her own time that she knows will greatly help our community. This isn’t just a 9-5 job for Ethel and her passion for this work is evident. She is utilizing her voice and tenacity to reach out and make an impact for an underserved population. We are certain this is only one of many accomplishments that Ethel will achieve through her journey in community based work. The COSA Grant Challenge District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg collaborated with Center for Civic Engagement at UTSA to initiate a mini grant program for service learning projects. The COSA Challenge Grant Program was launched to provide students with the opportunity to engage with non-profit agencies and positively impact the community through mutually beneficial learning experiences. Students […]

Sponsor Q&A: Gaylord & Karen Reaves

We are at our new address (4606 Centerview Ste. 200, San Antonio, TX  78228) and settling in nicely. There are still boxes to be unpacked and projects to be done, but each individual room is starting to look and feel like home.   One of our special rooms is quickly becoming one of our counseling rooms. This specific room is special because it was sponsored by Gaylord & Karen Reaves. Mr & Mrs. Reaves stopped by the center earlier this week and we had a chance to sit down and ask them a few questions about their involvement with our center. RCC: How did you find out about our move and what made you want to get involved as a room sponsor? Karen: A friend of ours invited us to attend your Partners for Hope breakfast in December. I specifically remember Miriam (Executive Director of the RCC) putting statistics up about how this crime impacted children. I knew then that I wanted to do something.   I found out about your move to this new facility at that same breakfast fundraiser. When I saw the opportunity to sponsor a room at the new building, I thought that was perfect for […]

From someone who sits on stage: The Vagina Monologues

Are you curious what this play is all about? The best way to find out is to ask one of the actresses who have participated in the show the last 5 years. We sat down with Dolores Zapata-Murff and had her tell us exactly what we can expect at The Vagina Monologues show….   RCC: What will I see at the show? DZM: You will see a group of women sitting on stage, from all walks of life, reading monologues written by other women about experiences involving their vaginas…both good and bad experiences.   RCC: What should I expect? DZM: Eve Ensler collected stories from women of different ages and backgrounds. The stories cover all the emotions. Some of them are hard to hear, and some will make you laugh out loud. All of them are real experiences. You can hear the courage, pain, and love in each one.   RCC: Why do you participate year after year? DZM: I participate to raise awareness of violence against women in all forms. I was sexually harassed at work and this is my way to do something about it; to continue to make change in the community.   I love the storytelling […]

A Pajama Party at Quiz for a Cause

If you haven’t made it out to one of our Quiz for a Cause nights with Geeks Who Drink you’re missing out! Twice a year we partner with Geeks Who Drink to host a trivia night at a local restaurant. This month there was an added bonus of $1 donated for every person who showed up in their pajamas! 24 teams took over Mad Pecker Brewing Co. restaurant on Wednesday, January 25th for a battle of the brains. After filling as many tables as available, adding chairs here and there, and opening up the patio, we eventually had to stop taking new teams because we were at capacity! Our fearless QuizMaster Shane hosted the quiz, auctioned off a Geeks Who Drink prize box, “sold” his playlist for the night (which meant listening to “Freebird” and William Hung’s “She Bangs”), along with donating $37 out of his own pocket for the 37 people who showed up in their finest pj’s. Everything added together we raised $869.84! Shane wrote about the event in his blog: …there is one thing that in all the experiences and all the cool things I’ve been privileged to do in my tenure as a QM here in San […]

Sponsor Q&A: Wave Healthcare

An exclusively pediatric respiratory Durable Medical Equipment (DME) company, Wave Healthcare’s primary focus is to improve healthcare for the Children of Texas. Wave Healthcare is able to serve families who are looking for a comprehensive range of home medical supplies, whether respiratory, oxygen, pediatric ventilator, trach or enteral related. Wave Healthcare, and their President – Rodney Gray, have supported our agency consistently for years. When we approached Rodney about our upcoming move and the opportunity to sponsor a room through our Relocation Project he proudly agreed to sponsor one of our counseling rooms. We asked Rodney a few questions on why he chooses to partner with us:   RCC: Why is it important for Wave to be involved in the community? RG: We truly believe that by being involved and giving back we will positively impact the people we serve and strengthen our community.   RCC: What are you and your employees getting out of partnering with The Rape Crisis Center? RG: We have created a culture at Wave Healthcare that nurtures our civic responsibility to help those around us in need.   The Rape Crisis Center supports children, women and men and we want to contribute to their mission to […]

Expanding & Relocating Our Main Offices

Sexual assault continues to impact our community in mass numbers. In recent months, we have borne witness to reports of sexual violence at the hands of Bill Cosby, the all-American dad whose TV presence many of us embraced, Brock Turner, a Stanford University athlete whose minimal sentencing for his sex crimes infuriated the nation, and other similar cases that shake our sensibilities. The Rape Crisis Center (RCC) is the only sexual assault program in Bexar County. Since 1975, the RCC solely existed to support people impacted by this form of violence and to stop sexual oppression from happening. Once again, the RCC steps up to handle the increased need for sexual violence survivor services by expanding and relocating our main offices. Since 2004, The Rape Crisis Center has been located off Highway 90 West. From this quiet, remote area the RCC has served thousands upon thousands of survivors, their families, loved ones, and community members. RCC has trained thousands of volunteers, professionals, and students to provide care, speak up for change, and advocate for other social injustices. From this location we have reached out to hundreds and connected with donors and leaders throughout our community. As the city continues to […]

Sponsor Q&A: Protection 1

Protection 1 is the nation’s premier full service security provider, protecting homes and businesses like us at millions of locations. As part of our Relocation Project, Protection 1’s local office, led by General Manager Mark Weidemann, has decided to sponsor a counseling room (a $2,500 contribution) in our future home. We spoke with Mark about why they chose to get involved. RCC: Why is it important Protection 1 to be involved in the community? MW: Our goal at Protection 1 is to be the company that sets the standard for a positive Customer Experience in our markets, and we realize that our commitment to our customer’s extends beyond just the services we provide. We are active members of the communities that we live in and want to be a positive contributor to creating a culture of caring, service and commitment. RCC: What are you and your employees getting out of partnering with The Rape Crisis Center? MW: Each of our employees are dedicated to providing safety, security and a “Peace of Mind” to our customers. We realize that many clients of The Rape Crisis Center have been denied those privileges and we want to let all the clients know there […]

Ambassador Q&A: David Levey, MD

David Levey, MD is a radiologist in Shavano Park and served on our Board of Trustees from December 2011 to January 2016. He left his seat on the board because his schedule no longer allowed him to serve in a full capacity, but David still wanted to support the mission. When he officially stepped down from the board, he stepped up to be an Ambassador. RCC: Why are you motivated to partner with The Rape Crisis Center? DL: If you do not step up to help others in your community, then important associations, connections and issues will be left unaddressed. RCC is a place of hope, healing, and action. RCC: What would you tell those who are uncomfortable about the issue of sexual violence? DL: It exists. It is an incontrovertible part of society – and the sheer uncovering and exposé of these atrocities will allow the healing to begin. RCC: How would you advise others to approach their loved ones to raise awareness about this issue? DL: I would advise careful concern without consternation or judgment. The affected party has already been through the fire – they now need an ally, a helping hand. RCC: What would you consider your proudest moment since adding […]

Ambassador Q&A: Roxy Pruski

A little to know about Roxy: 1) her whole world revolves around her amazing husband and four kids, and 2) she’s super-involved at her church, St. Jerome, that happens to sponsor our annual Run 4 Hope 5K (we have Roxy to thank for that). She served as our administrative assistant for nine years and has been an ambassador since January 2016. RCC: Why are you motivated to partner with The Rape Crisis Center? RP: I believe that RCC is a valuable agency that provides much needed services for our community. They strive each day to put an end to sexual violence. RCC: What would you tell those who are uncomfortable about the issue of sexual violence? RP: Sexual assault happens in every zip code. It does not discriminate based on age, race, religion, or financial situation. We owe it to our children and future generations to provide a world where we can prevent and educate about sexual violence. RCC: How would you advise others to approach their loved ones to raise awareness about this issue? RP: Sexual assault awareness is often a topic that does not receive the support and recognition it deserves. People have a hard time supporting a cause with the word “rape” in it. We […]

Q&A with Angela Peña: “Taking action, doing more”

Angela Peña has been an ambassador with The Rape Crisis Center since January 2016. She’s an RN and administrator for Special Kids Care and the Founder and President of Humor for Heroes, a nonprofit that provides a comedic outlet to military members and their significant others to honor them for their dedicated service.