Marlou Wegener, employed with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) as manager of community relations and chief operating officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation, received the State Level Ally of the Year Award from the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) at their Empower Gala last Friday night.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In observance, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) annual Visionary Voice Award recognizes creativity and hard work of individuals around the country who have demonstrated outstanding work to end sexual violence.

The Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) welcomes April as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual violence is one of the most insidious crimes impacting women, children and men across the state.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) released a new research report last week that found, in a single 24-hour period, more than 66,000 victims of domestic violence received help and support from service organizations in the United States, yet nearly 10,000 more who needed assistance could not be helped due to a lack of adequate resources.

Soroptimist International of Hays, Kansas has received the Community Ally of the Year Award by the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV).