Regent Students Support Survivors of Sexual Assault One Care Package at a Time
On Wednesday, October 11, students at Regent University set aside time to serve survivors of sexual assault as part of the annual Fear2Freedom celebration event.
Students assembled care packages, known as F2F kits, which are delivered to survivors.
Each kit contained a handwritten note, a shirt or other article of clothing, a journal and pen (for adults), a toy (for children), a toiletry packet, a card containing helpful tips and relevant hotlines, a story book, and a freedom bear — a teddy bear that “serves as a counseling tool,” according to the organization’s website.
“Our students rallied together to write heartfelt notes to survivors, not victims, and let them know that they are valued,” said Adam Williams, associate vice president for student life.
The event hosted by Regent also gave students an opportunity to hear from the organization’s founder, Rosemary Trible. She recounted in her book, Fear to Freedom: From Victim to Victory, her own experience of finding healing and peace after being sexually assaulted.
According to Trible, 20 percent of women and one in 16 men in college are targets of sexual assault, and the need for support is vital.
“The good news is, tonight, you’re going to do something [about that],” she told the students present. “Tonight, you are the change as your hearts are changed, as you change the lives of others, and yes even change your campus.”
Trible is also the first lady of Christopher Newport University, where her husband Paul S. Trible Jr., former U.S. senator and congressman, has served as president for more than 20 years.
Fear2Freedom is currently partnered with 33 hospitals and community organizations, and 19 universities, colleges, and community colleges.
The hospitals and community organizations work with the schools and receive the F2F kits from them after they’ve been put together by students. They’ve given out 13,000 kits since their founding in 2011.
“This program promotes campus awareness, intervention and incorporates the University’s Christian values,” said Jocelyn Dean, Regent’s deputy Title IX coordinator and associate director for residence life & community standards. “In addition, it equips and empowers our student scholars for success, giving them the opportunity to touch the lives of others exemplifying our university mission … Christian leadership to change to the world!”
“We are so pleased to be in partnership with Fear2Freedom. It is an outstanding organization that reflects the Christian values that Regent University is deeply rooted in: compassion, service and leadership to promote change for the better,” Williams said. “We look forward to an even bigger Fear2Freedrom event and celebration next year.”