Some Next Steps You Can Take To Help Project Illumination Succeed In Your Community:

• Contact your local Arc and invite a representative to talk to staff about the role they play in the community, and offer to provide the same training in return.
• Invite your local Arc to participate in your community awareness events and offer to participate in their community events as well.
• Make copies of the Arc fact sheets and articles in this toolkit for all staff.
• Make copies of the article on People First language, distribute and ask all staff to be aware of the language they use when talking about people with disabilities.
• Use the information in this toolkit to write an article for your newsletter about sexual violence against people with disabilities.
• Place the Arc posters and newsletters in this toolkit in your center’s lobby or waiting room---or any public place.
• Offer staff the opportunity to share fears about working with clients who have a disability and address these fears through education—through PCAR, local resources or videos.
• Plan to celebrate Mental Retardation* Awareness Month next year.
• Developmental Disabilities is the preferred term for mental retardation, but unfortunately, Mental Retardation Awareness Month was signed into law before this switch in language preference. Disabilities Rights groups are hopeful for a change, which has to be passed by Pennsylvania Legislature.

SAAM Suggested Activities

Hosting an event is a great opportunity to generate awareness about Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). Below is a list of suggested activities:

• Joining Hands to End Sexual Violence – Choose a central, high traffic area in your community (possibly the town square) and arrange for center staff and volunteers to come together and form a human chain by joining hands. Encourage passersby to join your chain and take a stand against sexual violence.
• Shine the Light – Organize your local community to ‘shine the light’ on sexual violence by selecting a day in April for residents in your community to turn on their porch light or light a candle in their window(s) at dusk to show support for victims of sexual violence. Encourage local businesses, churches and government offices to get involved.
• PTA Presentations – Contact your local elementary school’s parents group and arrange for your agency to do a presentation on child sexual abuse. Consider airing a video on child sexual abuse to be followed by a group discussion (PCAR library is a great resource for videos).
• Poetry Slam – The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has chosen a poetry slam as the featured event for 2006. Please visit their web site at www.nsvrc.org for a complete guide to hosting this type of event.
• Chamber of Commerce Mailings – Ask your local chamber of commerce to include an agency flyer or SAAM newspaper advertisement (available on the SAAM CD) in their membership mailing for the month of April.
• Library Display – Work with the local library to set up a display with books that highlight safe touches and healthy relationships. Include information about your agency’s services and brochures about child sexual abuse in the display.
• Open House – Hold an agency open house and ask a local dignitary to attend and meet and greet guests. Contact a local business about donating a gift certificate/basket and encourage attendance by registering guests into a drawing for the gift certificate/basket.
• Penny Drive – Partner with a local elementary/middle school and arrange a penny drive between grade levels. Encourage participation in the penny drive by using money raised toward materials for prevention education programs targeting youth. To further motivate participation, contact a local restaurant about donating pizzas and/or baked goods as a reward for the grade level that raised the most money.