COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month which is an opportunity to raise awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it.
The Michigan State Police started an important initiative in 2019 which helps those leaving an abusive situation. In most cases, there isn’t time to pack personal belongings.
That’s where an effort called Purses with a Purpose comes in. Volunteers gather purses and bags and fill them with comfort items.
The purses are then turned over to partnering women’s shelters who then give them to victims who may have had to leave in a hurry with little or nothing with them.
Forensic Nurse Examiners Laura Kopacz, Lynda Hooley, Lori Tipton and Cassie Tong from Branch County Sexual Assault Services at ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital is supporting this project by donating tote bags filled with personal care items to the Michigan State Police Post in Marshall, one of the statewide drop-off sites.
Branch Area Sexual Assault Services provide medical and forensic services to all victims of sexual assault and domestic violence 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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