Blog

March 31, 2020

Avoiding public spaces can reduce the spread of viruses, but for many adult and child sexual violence survivors, staying home isn't safe. In order to protect all people, survivors cannot be forgotten.

The COVID-19 stimulus package leaves out critical resources and policy changes specific for sexual assault programs like ours.  We need your help to make sure funding is included in future relief packages discussed by the federal government.  

We need to contact our California Members of Congress and our two US Senators to make sure they know to prioritize services to....

  March 30, 2020

by Lorelei Ahlemeyer, Campus Advocate

Dear Graduating Class of 2020,

I feel you.  The world feels you.   Things can seem very uncertain right now, but I promise you it will return to some level of normalcy soon.  How do I know this? I can remember standing in my hospital room cradling my newborn son as I watched the planes fly into the World Trade Center.  Then my partner, who was a Marine at the time, called me to tell me he loved me and instructed me on what I needed to do if he didn’t return from the war. My world was turned upside down, as I was lost, heartbroken....

March 26, 2020

by Lauren DaSilva, Deputy Director

Last summer, I was running around our Salinas office looking for the wifi password for a client and, after some searching, I found it in an obvious place on our communal bulletin board above the microwave. I’ve passed this bulletin board dozens of times a day in the six years I have worked in MCRCC’s Salinas Office, but when I found the wifi password I noticed something on the bulletin board I hadn’t before. It was a small beige colored brochure published by The Joyful Heart Foundation describing Trauma Exposure Response and its 16....

March 25, 2020

by Deborah Pembrook, Human Trafficking Outreach Manager

For the last few days, a moment from years ago has kept returning to me. 

It was around 3 in the morning and I was on the Santa Cruz Wharf. I had just locked the seafood restaurant where I cleaned. Alone, I crouched down to unlock my bike and paused as I heard the waves. Slowly, slowly, they collided against the edge of the pier, then struck pillar after pillar, approaching and passing me, until they unfurled against the beach. As I listened, in the fog and in my grimy clothes, I felt sure of what I had done....

March 25, 2020

By Rita Mora and Diana Beltran, Prevention Educators

Working remotely is something many of us have not been acquainted with. At least not under these unprecedented circumstances that seemed to have occurred in the blink of an eye. Parents are anxious about how to continue their children's education and keep them busy while finding extra time for bonding, or to connect as a family, often while trying to get work done at the same time. MCRCC wants you to know that we are here for you, and that we want to provide as much support as we possibly can. Child Abuse Prevention....

March 23, 2020

By Erin Ortiz

Submit your responses here.

Things are far from ordinary these days. It’s normal to feel worried for a myriad of reasons - Anxiety about spreading or catching germs. Sanitizing one’s hands every time they come near a door handle or shared surface. Anxiety about the anxiety. Finances. Food. Working from home while simultaneously caring for children. Missing friends, family, and your favorite hangouts. The list goes on.

Being stuck at home and distancing from other human beings is hard. Taking care of ourselves during this time is crucial. For some....

March 20, 2020

Calling all community partners, friends, and supporters!

Our downloadable and printable flyers detailing our different services are available here on our website under “Printable Materials.” 

The flyers are available in English and Spanish. Once we are able to be out and about at community events again, we will continue circulating these flyers!

Please take advantage of these flyers for a more in-depth understanding of our programs, services, and how to be involved with our work!

As always, thank you for your continued support.

March 19, 2020

by Deborah Pembrook, Human Trafficking Outreach Manager

With Monterey County under a stay-in-place order, so many survivors and other community members are asking if we are safe and secure. We want to help by providing clear and accurate help and connections to resources - including financial help that is available right now to anyone facing loss of work hours or jobs due to COVID-19. 

Whether your hours are cut or you have lost your job due to an illness, an illness of a family member or due to the economic factors, help may be available. Because finding the right....

March 18, 2020

by Erin Ortiz, Community Engagement Specialist
 

Crisis intervention - it’s our specialty.

At Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, our staff and volunteers are highly trained to support people in times of crisis. Advocacy is our thing and we do it well. We are there every day for people who are seeking resources and healing. 

However much we’d aspire to be, none of us are superhuman. Even if we know a thing or two about crisis intervention. The recent and rapid unfolding of events related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken us by surprise, along with the....

March 18, 2020

by Devan Haddad, Prevention Educator

A typical day for me during the school year is filled with a variety of tasks surrounding my 3 weekly clubs. This includes placing the pizza order (SOOO VITAL!), planning for club sessions, sending reminders via text to students, and bringing all necessary supplies to each site. However, clubs have drastically changed during this unprecedented time. Students and adults alike are working from home for the coming weeks. This can mean a lot of things - more family arguments, less opportunity to connect with friends, financial strain....