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HOWARD -- St. Mark Lutheran Church, 850 Snydertown Road, Howard, is partnering with Centre Safe in launching a multi-year sexual assault prevention curriculum aimed at educating and supporting members of the 60-plus age community, along with caregivers, staff and volunteers of entities working with older adults.
Funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, AWARE (Adult Wisdom to Advance Respect and Empowerment) aims to prove consistent prevention programming is effective at combating violence.
The first session for the program at St. Mark will be 11 a.m. on Nov. 20. It is a free event.
Participants can attend sessions geared at various aspects of prevention goals during the grant cycle. Year one focuses on caregivers, staff and volunteers. Year two will focus on members of the 60 and over community and year three will include education for community members.
As each year launches, the previous year’s programs will also be included, resulting in a community of care at the end of the grant cycle including various important facets of prevention work and this population.
"Research shows ongoing, consistent prevention programs make a world of difference," says Jennifer Pencek, executive director of Centre Safe. "Yet older adults are often excluded from prevention work or are discussed without being given the emphasis members of that population deserve. We know the high rates of sexual violence in our communities, including within the 60-plus age demographic, whether we are talking about recent instances or past experiences a victim was never able to process. AWARE aims to provide very needed spaces for learning and growing. We are honored to launch this program with our community partners and look forward to building relationships with other organizations wanting to make a difference."
To register for the first session, email stmarksnydertown@gmail.com.
For more information, email stmarklutheran@gmail.com or call 814-383-4882. You also can visit stmarksnydertown.wixsite.com/snydertown and follow St. Mark on Facebook and Instagram @StMarkSnydertown.