SARC Team gearing up for Sexual Assault Awareness Month Published March 28, 2012 By Simone Koram Installation Sexual Assault Response Coordinator WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year, we continue to promote the theme "Hurts One...Affects All... Preventing Sexual Assault is Everyone's Duty." The theme speaks to the affects of sexual assault on mission readiness. If one of wingman suffers from a crime of sexual assault, without a doubt, it will impact the morale of the entire team! For example, Master Sgt. Bianca Snuffy is known for being the fun and go to person in her unit. Her co-workers enjoy her warm personality, and her supervisor appreciates her consistent punctuality and dedication to meeting deadlines on a regular basis. Many days pass and you, her supervisor, notices that she has become silent, grouchy, day dreaming, and showing up to work late. You also observe her snapping at her co-workers. Her co-workers come to you because they have witnessed a change in Sergeant Snuffy's behavior. You approach Sergeant Sunffy and ask her to meet you in your office. You ask if she's okay. At first, you can tell she's quite reluctant to answer. She eventually shares with you that her ex-boyfriend sexually assaulted her. She tells you she's very angry with herself for allowing this to happen. Being a good supervisor, you offer to help by listening and referring her to the SARC office. Your meeting ends with Master Sgt. Snuffy thanking you for taking the time to notice that she was hurting. Days, then weeks go by and you notice positive improvement in Sergeant Snuffy. The point of the scenario is...it only takes a simple act of kindness to make a huge difference in the life of a person who may be suffering from sadness, depression, stress, betrayal, anger or loss. As the supervisor, you did the right thing by intervening appropriately. You and Master Sgt. Snuffy's co-workers were good Bystanders! You all were alert, intervened, and took action! Overall, the immediate steps you took had a positive and lasting impact on Sergeant Snuffy, the work environment, the team and the mission. The bottom line...when it hurts one, it affects all. It is indeed everyone's duty to prevent sexual assault. I encourage you to always look out for one another. Although we observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, every single day should be a sexual assault prevention and awareness day! Join me and my team as we STOP sexual assault. Promoting respect and preserving dignity is what we do. Help is just a phone call away! Contact the Wright-Patterson AFB SARC Office at 937-257-7272 (24/7). The SARC Team (staff, victim advocates, volunteers, and our on- and off- base partners and supporters) are ready to deliver many exciting SAAM activities and events in April. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate. All events are free of charge! For a list of SARC activities, click here.