CLAREMONT — The Center for Safer Communities will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Steppin’ Up to End Violence, a 5K run and walk, next Saturday.
The nonprofit organization, which was previously known as Turning Points Network, is aiming to raise $200,000 this year — its largest goal yet. Proceeds from the event support survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Sullivan County, as well as community education programs. The organization has locations in Claremont and Newport.
“We understand that economic uncertainty is real, and that people are understandably hesitant to give right now when the cost of living keeps rising,” Executive Director Pascale Graham wrote in an email. “But every $5, every $10 adds up, and the impact is tangible.”
Donations help cover costs such as food for survivors and their children who may be facing food insecurity because of financial abuse and diapers for babies.
“There are no donations that are considered too small,” Graham wrote. “They are lifelines for families in crisis, and every dollar truly matters.”
People can register ahead of time and raise money as part of a team or individually, or simply arrive at Claremont Middle School around 8:30 a.m. the day of the event. Steppin’ Up begins with a rally at 9:45 a.m. and the walk/run starts at 10 a.m. Participants can register and learn more at cscnh.org/20th-annual-steppin-up-to-end-violence.
“A lot of times events have a shelf life. People did not expect a 5K would be going to 20 years,” Kerry Roschford Hague, a senior prevention educator at the Center for Safer Communities who has participated in the event since the start, said in a phone interview earlier this month.
The first year, around 200 participants raised more than $16,000. Last year, more than 700 participants raised more than $180,000.
“…To have it grow to that degree is really incredible,” Roschford Hague said. “I think it speaks to how it has become a community event, in addition to a fundraiser for our organization.”
The gathering also includes food, raffles and children’s activities. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome. Community organizations and businesses often form teams, complete with coordinating signs and T-shirts.
“It’s very cool to see what the teams come up with,” said Programs Director Amanda Mace, who has participated in Steppin’ Up for 16 years and started working for Center for Safer Communities in 2012.
One of the highlights of the event is when a survivor shares their story. Last year, the organization assisted around 900 survivors, Mace said.
“Survivors too that come, the support they feel, knowing the community is behind them, it’s incredibly meaningful,” she said. Sometimes survivors discuss their stories openly. Other times, staff will hear from them afterward about what it meant to them to be around hundreds of people in a supportive environment.
This year, Crystal Carter, a direct service advocate at the Center for Safer Communities, will share her experience with domestic violence and how the nonprofit organization assisted her and her family. Carter has worked at the Center for Safer Communities for around seven months.
“I really was inspired by everything they did for me,” Carter said in a phone interview earlier this month. “It changed my whole view on my entire life and I wanted to be able to help at least one person. Now I’m able to help anybody who comes in the door.”
Stories like Carter’s can help people understand firsthand what services the Center for Safer Communities provides, Mace and Roschford Hague.
“I think it makes the work tangible to people outside of this organization,” Roschford Hague said. “When someone speaks and shares their story like that, I think it helps other people to feel more connected.”
Carter is looking forward to attending her first Steppin’ Up event and hopes that by sharing her story she can inspire others.
“Being in it, you get really blinded … It’s hard to imagine anything around that. I want people to see that it’s possible,” she said. “Regardless of your background, what you went through. Sometimes all you need is help and that is OK.”
