Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University and Hope Harbor: A Sexual Trauma Recovery Center are hosting RAINN DAY 2006 (formerly GET CARDED) on Thursday (Sept. 28).          

RAINN DAY is an annual national event, sponsored by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), aimed at educating students about sexual assault. According to RAINN, “Volunteers will distribute wallet cards and information about the National Sexual Assault Hotline to 1.5 million college students on more than 1,200 college campuses in 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

The distribution of the GET CARDED cards will take place in three locations on the main campus of WKU on Thursday (Sept. 28). Volunteers will be at Downing University Center and Garrett Conference Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Preston Health and Activities Center from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Cards also will be distributed at WKU’s Bowling Green Community College from 9 a.m. to noon and at WKU’s Glasgow Campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

According to Leyda Becker, Hope Harbor’s Director of Community Education, “since college students are three-times more at risk of being sexually assaulted than any other group, it’s essential that they be informed on what to do to reduce their risk of an assault.” 

Elizabeth Mohon, Sexual Assault Services Coordinator at WKU, has been coordinating the event with the cooperation of Hope Harbor, Inc., and many student volunteers, including the Topperwell Peer Health Educators, to ensure that all 5,000 cards are made available to students. 

“We feel it’s very important to use this opportunity as another way to help Break the Silence and give a voice to this silent epidemic,” Mohon said.

“This partnership is ideal because it is important for students to know how to access resources not only on campus but also in the community,” Becker said.

Information about RAINN DAY 2006 is available by contacting the WKU Counseling and Testing Center at (270) 745-3159 or visiting their website at www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/StuAffairs/COUNS/index.php, by calling Leyda Becker at Hope Harbor, Inc., at (270) 782-0954 or by calling the free and confidential national hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Elizabeth Mohon at (270) 745-3159.

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