Rutherford County Represented at Sixth National SART Conference in Austin, TX
Eleven individuals from in and around Rutherford County attended a three-day Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) training in Austin, TX from May 25-27, 2011. The Sixth National SART Training conference offered training for professionals who respond to sexual assault cases as a team. This team approach better serves the victims needs. Those in attendance included representatives from Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, Murfreesboro Police Department, 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Middle Tennessee State University, Domestic Violence Program & Sexual Assault Services (a partner of the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties), and Hickman County Emergency Room. Together they form a network of medical personnel, victim advocates, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors and others involved in community response to this crime. The purpose of a SART team is to promote the health and healing of victims, hold offenders accountable, and prevent further sexual violence.
The opinion keynote speaker best articulated the goal of the SART program when she stated that her last day of court was her last day as a victim, and it was the day she took her hope back. The theme for this year’s conference was SART: Together We Can!. It highlighted the advances SART teams are making and ways to tackle the challenges they face. The conference is sponsored by the SANE-SART Resource Service of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, and the U.S. Department of Justice. By training together, SART members gain knowledge and motivation needed to effectively help victims of sexual violence.
Rutherford County founded their Sexual Assault Response Team in 2007. The Domestic Violence program, a United Way partner agency, serves Rutherford and Cannon Counties and offers services to victims of domestic violence and elder abuse including emergency safe shelter, crisis hotline, walk-in crisis counseling, court advocacy and support groups. For more information, please contact Trista Pirtle-Bond at (615) 896-7377 or tpirtle@dvpshelter.org.
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Photo Caption: Individuals of the Rutherford County Sexual Assault Response Team include; Top row (L-R) Shelly Wright, Terri Johnson, Det. Wayne Lawson, Amy Teasley, Det. DJ Jackson, Debbie Curtis; Bottom row (L-R) Trevor Lynch, Sherry Galloway, Trista Pirtle-Bond, Samantha Nordan; Not pictured, Leah Golden.
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About the United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties
United Way advances the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. United Way focuses on education, income, health, and rebuilding lives – the building blocks for a good quality of life. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise, and resources needed to get things done through giving, advocating, and volunteering. The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is located at 615 Memorial Boulevard in Murfreesboro. For more information, please call (615) 893-7303 or visit www.uwrutherford.org.