**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SAS**

Are you a caring compassionate individual who would like to help others who have been impacted by sexual violence? Sexual Assault Services of Calhoun County is currently accepting applications for Volunteer Victim Advocates. Volunteers provide emotional support, information and referrals to survivors of sexual violence at our local police stations and nurse examiner sites. Please see calendar and events for upcoming training opportunities or call our Volunteer Coordinator at 269.245.3925.

Collaboration

Close work with a number of community agencies has allowed SAS to provide services to victims of sexual assault/abuse in Calhoun County. The partnership with Battle Creek Health System allows SAS to exist as a department of the system. Cooperation with three county hospitals and all county law enforcement agencies has provided the 24-hour crisis response to aid victims during the emotional crisis of reporting the crime of sexual assault. Battle Creek Health System, Oaklawn Hospital (Marshall) and Trillium Hospital (Albion) have all made significant policy and procedural changes and donated space to SAS for the SANE program. The Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office works closely with SAS to better serve victims in the criminal justice system. Close relationships with the Victim Rights Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, and the Personal Protection Office in the County Clerk’s Office are instrumental in meeting the needs of SAS clients. Collaboration with the County Health Department provides free, confidential follow-up health care and our work with Child Protective Services is vital to child safety. Partnerships with area schools and colleges allow prevention education to reach hundreds of young people annually. Working relationships with many mental health professionals, including Summit Pointe, assure the appropriate counseling and mental health treatment for SAS clients.

SAS provides training to the staff and volunteers of S.A.F.E. Place (the regional domestic violence shelter), all 12 county law enforcement agencies, health care providers, and other professionals in the community. Outreach counseling is provided at the SHARE Center, a drop-in center for homeless, addicted and disabled people in Battle Creek, as well as Kellogg Community College and Albion College.

In addition to these numerous collaborations with community agencies and organizations, SAS is represented on the Calhoun County Sexual Assault/Abuse Coordinating Council, the Calhoun County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, the Child Advocacy Center committee, the Statewide Sexual Assault Systems Response Task Force, Michigan SANE Council, and the International Association of Forensic Nurses, SANE Council, - all multi-disciplinary groups addressing the issues of sexual and domestic violence. SAS staff is currently active in the community meetings concerning teen pregnancy in Calhoun County.