Ozark Rape Crisis Center will be at Event Saturday

The Ozark Rape Crisis Center will be at this Saturday’s United Way Poker Run.

Advocacy Services Coordinator Twila Ruff and Victim Advocate Christy Elrod from the Ozark Rape Crisis Center joined KHOZ’s Around The Table on Monday to discuss their efforts and the upcoming event. They will be at the United Way Poker Run this Saturday at Anderson’s from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Prior to COVID-19, the organization started the Council on Sexual Assault Response (COSAR). Members from the ER, law enforcement, housing and more come together once a quarter to focus on sexual assault and domestic violence issues. The organization has also seen sex trafficking although not often. There next meeting is on Oct. 6 and the public and business professionals are all welcome. The meeting is at 1 p.m. at the OEM building.

The organization is volunteer-based and grant-funded; they provide a 24-hour hotline, prevention in schools, community outreach and referrals. Twila said volunteers staff the hotline in the evenings and on the weekends. The organization has an office in Harrison, Clarksville and Russellville. They have about eight employees. Ruff said that COVID-19 did not really impact their case numbers because “our 24-hour hotline was open. However, there were a lot of victims that might not feel comfortable or be able to use the phone because they were kind of locked down.” She estimated that each office has about 400 clients with the services being up in the thousands.

Elrod said anywhere from “meeting them at the ER, going to trial, we’re their support from beginning to end.” Their toll-free phone number is 800-818-1189. They receive phone calls from all over the state and will direct people to resources if they are not near any offices. The full interview is available on Around The Table’s Facebook Page.