"The grass is greener where you water it." - Neil Barringham
Thank you.
“Three things stood out in the survivors’ stories I was reading. The first and most obvious was pain. I was struck again and again by the depth of the betrayal these women had suffered, by how devastating, perverse, wrong, and brutal sexual violence is. Though I encountered a broad spectrum among the responses survivors had to what happened to them, taken together, the letters created a landscape of intense suffering. The second theme in the letters was isolation. The word “alone” appeared again and again. Whether a survivor was writing from a farm community in Virginia or from Midtown Manhattan, whether a survivor lived in a single-parent household off the coast of Maine or she was surrounded by three generations of her extended family on a reservation in South Dakota, she was alone. She could have no one around her or everyone around her; it didn’t matter. She was isolated in the shame of what had happened to her and in the fear of the consequences of speaking out. And lastly, I read about courage. Actually, I was holding it in my hands, because the act of reaching out for help and breaking the silence that imprisons so many survivors is an act of utmost courage. I obviously had my role to play on television, but I knew I wanted to play a role in healing survivors’ PAIN, ending their ISOLATION, and honoring their COURAGE. I started the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004. Our mission is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues. More than 4000 survivors have participated in our retreat and wellness programs, we have reached thousands more through life saving referrals on our website, and our participation in national educational and media awareness campaigns has planted the seeds of a changed awareness in the lives of millions. I have seen survivors find their way back to lives of possibility, hope, and joy, and I am proud to be part of a movement that will change the way we respond to these epidemics.”
“When I started working on television in 1986, I quickly learned that fan mail came
with the territory. I would read letters like: “Hi, my name is Sarah. I really like your show. Can I please have an autographed picture?” But when I started working on SVU, I got a different kind of mail: “Hi, my name is Sarah. I’m 16 years old. My father has been raping me since I was 12, and I have never told anyone.” I remember my breath going out of me when the first letter came, and I’ve gotten thousands like it since then.”—-
“When people ask me, you know…what is it about. It is about the courage, which you have, to heal. And so what we do is we foster and we water that garden, because the fact that somebody discloses, that somebody…See? It’s so sad. But the fact that like…that little boxer, that little…human spirit that comes out and goes “You know what? I don’t want to live like this anymore. I don’t deserve to hide. I don’t wanna have my lights shut off. I wanna get this off me.”. And we say “Okay, great! You can, you will, and we will help you”
“I started the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 to help survivors of sexual assault heal their minds, bodies and spirits and reclaim their lives. Since then, we have expanded Joyful Heart’s mission and vision. We have had thousands of people participate in our pioneering retreats and wellness programs and have reached millions more through national public awareness campaigns, as well as our website. I couldn’t be prouder of the staff and board of directors who are working to move Joyful Heart forward each and every day.
When I started playing Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit a decade ago, my eyes were opened to the silenced epidemics of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse in this country. It wasn’t just in the scripts for the show, but in the many emails I received from viewers disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time.
I felt a great responsibility to these brave men and women and wanted them to know that they had been heard and that they could have hope. I studied the subject, trained to become a crisis counselor, and used my visibility as an actress to become an advocate. The result was the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing support and encouragement for survivors.
In creating programs for our participants, we quickly realized that everyone heals differently. We choose treatments that engage the mind, body and spirit for healing purposes and try to discover the strategies that work for each individual. We provide an extensive network of resources and our own groundbreaking retreats that complement traditional counseling and therapy.
When people are abused and assaulted, it is like the doors to their souls slam shut. The goal of Joyful Heart is to let the light, and the life, back in—to banish the darkness and let the healing begin.”
- Mariska Hargitay, President & Founder, Joyful Heart Foundation
POST 3000 :D
(Source: itisokaye)
(Source: whensheglowsinthedark)
Can you spot Mariska Hargitay? We’re in a rape kit backlog subcom hearing on th hill.
I swear, she is so amazing. It almost makes me want to cry when I think about it.
I don’t understand the government. They have their fucking DNA, why are you letting them go free?
I want to do this line of work one day. <3
