Resilience News
Watch our FY23 Wrap Up Video
Thank you to our supporters for helping Resilience achieve so much in Fiscal Year 2023! With your help, we served over 1,400 survivors of sexual violence in Chicago.
Click here to view our FY23 video and learn more about our reach this past fiscal year.
Through all our programs and services, we connected with our community to empower survivors and end sexual violence. As we begin the new fiscal year, we look forward to even more success. Resilience thanks our incredible volunteers, Board of Directors, Associate Board, partners, donors, and supporters. We also send all our gratitude to our staff. Without all of your tireless work and dedication, none of this would be possible. Every day your steadfast support brings us closer to ending sexual violence. Here’s to even more empowerment in fiscal year 2024!
Interview with Alondra Guzman
We are proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience’s community to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Alondra Guzman, Resilience’s Children’s Legal & Medical Advocate. Read our interview below to hear from Alondra about how she got involved in advocacy, empowers survivors who are minors, and celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.
Interview with Anna Candoleza Muglia
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience’s community to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Anna Candoleza Muglia, BSN, RN, SANE-A, Pediatric SANE, and SANE Program Coordinator in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. Read our interview below to hear from Anna about working with survivors in hospitals, the importance of building trust with patients, and her hopes for the future.
Read our interview with Anna below.
Interview with Jon Center
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience’s community to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Jon Center, President of Resilience’s Board of Directors. Read our interview below to hear from Jon about the work he’s done with Resilience over the past four years and what he’s looking forward to in Resilience’s new fiscal year.
Read our interview with Jon below
Supreme Court News – July 2023
The beginning of this summer has been filled with celebrations honoring Juneteenth, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and our nation’s Declaration of Independence. Ironically as these summer celebrations followed one another, we also took steps backward as harmful news from the Supreme Court came to light. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, promoting diversity, and redressing past harm. Similarly, protections around discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity have worked toward bridging inequality, increasing access, and condemning hate.
Common Thread Partnership with Black Sheep Collective
Black Sheep Collective is asking survivors from all walks of life to participate in the Common Thread project by parting ways with any clothing items or textiles they may carry that are connected to their experience with sexual violence. Please click below to learn more.
Welcome Resilience’s New Executive Director, Donna Jacobson!
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Resilience’s new Executive Director, Donna Jacobson. We believe that her passion for our mission, her experience, and her vision will enable Resilience to continue to achieve its mission – to assure that survivors of sexual assault are treated with dignity and compassion and to effect changes in the way the legal system, medical institutions, and society as a whole respond to survivors.
Interview with Katie Kirshenbaum
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Katie Kirshenbaum, a Resilience Trauma Therapist. Read our interview below to hear from Katie about working with survivors in different ways, things we can all do to support LGBTQ+ survivors, and more.
Read our interview with Katie below.
Standing Silent Witness on Chicago This Week
Resilience was thrilled to host Standing Silent Witness 2023, our signature SAAM event, on April 28, 2023, at Daley Plaza. In a visual demonstration of the silencing of survivors, participants gather silently for one hour wearing t-shirts with stories and messages protesting sexual violence and rape culture. This powerful event includes community members, advocates, volunteers, and survivors amplifying stories that are too often ignored as a way to break the silence about sexual violence. At the end of that hour, we break the silence by chanting messages of support. Thank you to everyone who participated in and supported this event!
Thank you to Brenda Ordonez, Northwestern University & CAN-TV for featuring this event and creating this video. To watch the video, please click here.
Interview with Jillian Furey
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Jillian Furey, a Resilience Associate Board member, survivor, and former Resilience client. Read our interview to hear from Jillian about her healing journey, getting involved with Resilience, and the upcoming Empowerment 5K.
Read our interview with Jillian below.
Welcome to our new Board of Directors members!
Resilience is pleased to welcome our two newest Board of Directors members.
Interview with Yazmin Garcia
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Yazmin Garcia, a Volunteer Medical Advocate. Read our interview to hear from Yazmin about the impact of Resilience Volunteer Medical Advocates and the challenges and triumphs of the work they do.
Read our interview with Yazmin below.
RAYGUN’s Resilience Store is Now Open!
Do you want another way to support Resilience? Then check out our brand new store, where you can purchase t-shirts, totes, and buttons all in support of Resilience. Stock up now for Standing Silent Witness!
Thanks to RAYGUN’s partnership, this store will be open year-round. Many thanks to RAYGUN!
An important update regarding VOCA Fund Cuts
We would like to share a significant funding update that will impact the state of Illinois in FY24. Beginning July 1, 2023, the funding available to Illinois Rape Crisis Centers through the Victims of Crime Act Fund (VOCA) will be cut by 49%. VOCA uses non-taxpayer money from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) for programs that serve victims of crime. Nationally, these funds support services for over 6 million victims of all types of crimes annually through 6,462 direct service organizations, including Resilience.
Interview with Carolina Sanchez
We’re proud to celebrate the people who serve and connect our incredible community. Each month, we interview a different member of Resilience to hear more about the work they’re doing to empower survivors and end sexual violence. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Carolina Sánchez, a Supervisor of Advocacy Services at Resilience. Read our interview to hear from Carolina about Resilience’s Legal and Medical Advocacy services and what she’s most proud of in her eight years of working at Resilience.
Read our interview with Carolina below.
SAAM is right around the corner!
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Resilience, along with participating organizations, will be hosting virtual events and a fundraising campaign to raise awareness of sexual violence and support community efforts to prevent it. Resilience has a number of fundraising opportunities and events scheduled to celebrate SAAM and we hope you will get involved! Click here to learn more.
Interview with Michael Happ
We’re proud to celebrate the people who connect our incredible community and bring us together in this work. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Michael Happ, a monthly donor and former President of Resilience’s Board of Directors. Read our interview to hear from Michael about getting involved in the anti-rape movement and the importance of supporting nonprofits.
Read our interview with Michael below.
Interview with Gaby Molden-Carlwell
It is important now more than ever to embrace and celebrate what connects us: our resilience. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Gaby Molden-Carlwell, MSW LSW, Resilience Austin Trauma Therapist.
Read our interview with Gaby below.