Sexual Assault Centres Offer Important Services

Meadow Lake and Area Sexual Assault Center is the satellite office of Battlefords and Area Sexual Assault Center.

As a nonprofit organization, the Center offers free counselling services, both on site and in office, to victims of sexual assault.

Both locations also offer free public education programs to schools all around West Central and North West Saskatchewan.

Because the counsellors work so closely with other agencies, such as schools, RCMP, victim services, health centers, hospitals, social services, etc., they are often called in to see victims at the hospitals or RCMP detachments immediately following an attack.

Jody Bender, the sexual assault counsellor at the Meadow Lake office, recognized the need for personal items for these victims in cases like these. Often times during a hospital call a victim will ask for clean clothes or underwear, or even a blanket. In an already traumatizing and uncomfortable situation, Jody seen the importance in having a supply of these items on hand to offer some sort of comfort to these victims.

As a non-profit organization, funds are limited, so she set up a fundraiser to help stock the supplies needed. As an avid Younique makeup wearer, Jody decided to set up a virtual party through Younique, and all commissions for all orders placed would go towards supplies for victims.

$300 was raised, as well as a generous amount of supplies donated by a group of college girls from the Goodsoil and Pierceland area. Younique also runs a program called the Younique Foundation, which is a retreat for female survivors of sexual assault.

In addition, when placing any order through Younique, the website gives you the option of “rounding up” your total amount to the nearest dollar as a donation to the Younique Foundation. To read stories from survivors that have went through the retreat, or to place an order to help supply items for victims in Saskatchewan, please visit www.youniqueproducts.com/Dragonflies.

If you would like more information on the products or on how you can help, or if you are interested in donating items, join the Facebook group Younique Dragonflies, or visit Jody Bender at the Meadow Lake Sexual Assault Center or by email at basac4@sasktel.net , or by phone at 306-304-7911.