It's that time of year again!
Time for our 6th Annual Walk for Change!
 

Thank you for visting my page! I'm always humbled, but never surprised, by everyone's generosity year after year.

Last year, I updated you on some of the exciting things my colleagues and I have been working on, and you seemed to like that, so here's a quick annual report of our work and what your donations support:

(FY10 is July 1st, 2009 to June 30th, 2010 and YTD is July 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2011.)

• The Hotline volunteers answered 3,021 calls in FY10 and has answered 2,179 YTD.
   
• Medical advocacy volunteers responded to 337 cases of survivors who had been recently assaulted at 11 hospitals and the Children's Advocacy Center in FY10. YTD, they have done 267 cases at 12 hospitals.
   
• In FY10, BARCC staff counselors did 292 intake appointments, ultimately seeing 248 clients for between one and 12 free counseling appointments.
   
• In FY10, BARCC's staff legal advocates and case managers handled 841 requests for safety planning, police and court advocacy, housing, and access to other victim services like clothing, a Hopeline phone, and other resources.
   
• The youngest clients we directly served were 12, although we worked with parents and siblings of younger survivors. The oldest client we served was in their mid-80s. We served women, men, transfolks, and people whose gender we weren't aware of. We served a number of people with physical or cognitive disabilities, substance use histories, and various mental health issues. We also served clients who had none of those. 
   
• In FY10, Community Awareness and Prevention Services volunteers and staff did 406 educational and training engagements, to an audience of 5,820 people.
   
• Beginning May 10, 2010, after years of tireless work by Stephanie Decandia, our manager of legal and systems advocacy (and many others), survivors of sexual assault and stalking in MA finally had access to a criminally enforceable restraining order. Previously, only individuals assaulted by a family member, spouse, or someone with whom they had a substantive dating relationship were eligible for restraining orders.

The theme of this year's walk is, Who Will You Walk For?

I am walking for:

• my amazing co-workers, who are among the smartest, most compassionate, funniest, and bravest people I've ever had the privilege to know.
• Boston. I love this city so much, and if any city can make this change, it's this one.
• all of the people I've met who are so eager to make their communities safer, kinder, and less tolerant of sexual violence.
• Ariana, Kymani, Addison, Ellery, and Sesame Seed.

And now for some FAQs:

Q. Where do you find these pictures?
A. The Google. You'd be amazed what sorts of footwear people put animals into.

Q. Sometimes it seems like their feet are bandaged and they might have been injured? And that makes me feel a little sad?
A. Yes, I noticed that too. But I can assure you that I carefully view the photo in its original context, and no animals were harmed in the saving of the image to my desktop.

Q. I heard somewhere that you and your cousin won the 5th Annual Walk for Change?
A., if you are my Grandpa Bossong: Yes! And there was that great picture of us crossing the finish line that we showed you!
A., for all others: It's...not really a contest. But I am planning to run it this year!
 

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Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Thank you so very much for your support-- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to get involved!