By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
Last Wednesday, first responders and members of the community gathered at North Alexander Park in Faribault to hold a fundraiser for The HOPE Center, raising just over $2,800. The fundraiser helps provide crucial resources to the county’s non-profit organization that helps victims of domestic and sexual violence. Executive Director Erica Staab of the HOPE Center noted why donations are so critical to their services. Here she is speaking to KYMN at the fundraiser:
“We are the domestic violence and sexual assault agency here in Rice County. And so we provide free and confidential services to anybody who needs us. ” – Erica Staab, Executive Director of The HOPE Center, KYMN Interview
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This fundraiser with the first responders ultimately made a lot of sense, since there is a strong partnership between the two groups:
“So we work on a daily basis. So we’re at the courthouse. We are getting calls from law enforcement. So when there’s a domestic, they call us. After they make sure the scene is safe and everything, then they take the victim aside and they connect them with Hope Center… We also provide services for sexual assault at the, if they present to the emergency room.” – Erica Staab, Executive Director of The HOPE Center, KYMN Interview
While the HOPE Center works closely with the government and first responders, she said it was ultimately important that they were separate organizations, stating that victims appreciated the confidentiality that the HOPE Center offers:
“And so we collaborate with all of these government agencies, but we are separate. We are a nonprofit, and we are our own entity. And so that’s really important for a lot of our victims that we remain confidential. So if they don’t want to work with any of the agencies, then we can work with them outside of that, or we’re happy to walk alongside them as they go through the justice process as well.”– Erica Staab, Executive Director of The HOPE Center, KYMN Interview
Staab noted that donations from events like this are so critical, as about half of the group’s overall funding comes from private donations. The remaining funds come from grants and government support. Ultimately, the charity softball tournament raised funds from different raffles and donations. Teams from Northfield Police and Fire, Faribault Police and Fire, the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and Rice County Sheriff’s Office all played. At its peak, several hundred people had gathered to watch the games.
You can learn more about the HOPE Center and donate on their website https://hopecentermn.org/
Concluding her remarks, Staab noted that the impact of The HOPE Center was on a significant number of those in the community:
“Last year, we served over 1,600 people. Your community members are coming to our doors, and so we want to make sure we’re here for them.” – Erica Staab, Executive Director of The HOPE Center, KYMN Interview
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