Family Crisis Services Honored

Family Crisis Services Honored with Statewide Award
Coalition awards its Project of the Year Award

Topeka, KS, 2/12/2015 – Family Crisis Services, Inc., the sexual and domestic violence advocacy program serving Finney, Kearney, Hamilton, Lane, Scott, Wichita, and Greeley counties, has received the Project of the Year Award from the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV).

Family Crisis Services was awarded the honor during KCSDV’s 12th Annual Safe Homes, Safe Streets Awareness Day and Sunflower Safety Breakfast event in Topeka on February 12.

Since 1995, KCSDV has been recognizing outstanding advocates and allies who are working to enhance victim safety, to increase perpetrator accountability, and to prevent and eliminate sexual and domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in Kansas.

Family Crisis Services was honored with the statewide award for their Art Circles project. Art Circles allows survivors to express the emotions they are feeling through relaxation and creation of an art piece.

In 2014, Family Crisis Services worked to expand their services for sexual assault survivors. Through this process, resources beyond traditional counseling and services were developed to assist survivors in healing from the trauma they had endured as a result of the sexual violence they experienced and Art Circles was developed for adults and children. “This project has introduced a holistic approach to healing from the trauma of sexual violence,” said Janene Radke, executive director of Family Crisis Services. “It has also opened up new venues for collaborating with other agencies in our service area that we have not explored in the past,” said Radke.

The Art Circles project started with two groups a week, one for adults and one for children. Advocates are now facilitating four Art Circles groups a week and have expanded the children’s program to include children who have experienced sexual violence in foster care, schools, CASA, and juvenile detention.

“We are pleased to recognize this innovative project and the outstanding work of Family Crisis Services,” said Joyce Grover, executive director of KCSDV. “They have been part of a project to expand sexual assault services to survivors in rural areas of Kansas and have done tremendous work in this area.”

Other award winners at this year’s event included Angie Blumel from Kansas City for the Juliene Maska Outstanding Advocate of the Year Award; Karen Pyles from Kansas City for the Volunteer of the Year Award; and Steve Howe, Johnson County District Attorney, and Ministry Against Domestic Violence in Great Bend, for the Community Ally of the Year Awards.

Photos available upon request.