Dear Friend,

Ever since I first spoke with Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, I’ve known that I wanted to help them. To give back. Because they’ve helped me so much.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing my story – of the abuse that happened to me and how I found my way through the early days of healing – in a series of emails.

I hope you’ll read them. And in so doing, I hope you’ll be proud of your role in helping TRCC so they can continue to help others like me to begin their individual healing journeys.

With thanks, Sally (not really my name)
We have changed some details to keep me safe.

P.S If I had more money, I’d be donating to TRCC. I’m not rich. But I can share my story to hopefully inspire others to donate. We can each do what we can do.

Dear Friend 

“Move on and focus on your own healing,” was the absurd advice I got when I first looked for help.  

But Toronto Rape Crisis Centre was different. 

It was the first place where I felt heard and supported to do what felt right for me.  

And what felt right for me meant reporting what had happened to the police. That was a necessary step in my healing. I needed to feel safe. AND I didn’t want him doing the same thing to anyone else. 

When I met with Karlene at TRCC, I felt supported to make the decisions that were best for me. She supported me through the court process and helped me learn to keep myself safe emotionally and physically. 

It’s so INCREDIBLY difficult to face your abuser. But with support from TRCC, I have been able to weather these intense challenges. And while the process has been excruciating – and often disappointing – I am hopeful that my courage will slow him down from hurting other women.  

I don’t know what I would have done without Karlene’s support and the help I received at TRCC. I hope you’ll consider supporting TRCC with a donation so they can keep helping hundreds of women in similar situations each year take the steps to healing that feel right for them. It’s not a one-size fits all approach and TRCC understands that.   

And, I hope by sharing my story you’ll understand just what a lifesaver TRCC’s work is to me and to many others. Without their support, I would have felt alone, isolated and terrified. And I wouldn’t have had the courage to take steps to try to prevent him from hurting more women. 

I hope my story inspires you to donate to TRCC to make sure that folks like me get the support they need to do what is right for them to begin healing.  

Thank for your support of TRCC, 

Sally (not really my name)  

We have changed some details to keep me safe. 

 

P.S. Coming forward to prevent abusers is soo difficult and dangerous. TRCC has years of experience. I hope you’ll support them with a donation so they can keep supporting folks like me.