About

Foundation

Purpose

The purpose of our non-profit sexual assault center is to provide comprehensive support, healing, and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault. We train and provide highly skilled Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) who are dedicated to delivering compassionate and expert care to survivors of sexual assault. We strive to create a safe and empowering environment where survivors can access trauma-informed care, counseling, and legal advocacy. Through education and community outreach, we aim to raise awareness, prevent future incidents, and foster a society that supports survivors.

Mission

Our sexual assault center, guided by empathy, respect, and sensitivity, is committed to supporting survivors on their path to healing, fostering a society free from sexual violence, and ensuring that survivors are believed, supported, and provided with the care they deserve.

Values

We are dedicated to:

Specialized Care:
- Delivering expert medical and forensic services through our trained SANES, ensuring survivors receive trauma-informed and survivor-centered care during the examination process.
Holistic Support:
- Offering a range of services, including counseling, advocacy, and access to resources, to address survivors’ physical, emotional, and legal needs, empowering them to navigate their healing journey.
Empowerment and Education:
- Empowering survivors through education, empowering them with knowledge about their rights, available resources, and self-care strategies, fostering resilience and self-advocacy.
Collaboration and Coordination:
- Collaborating with law enforcement, legal professionals, healthcare providers, and community organizations to create a coordinated response, promoting survivor-centered approaches and facilitating access to justice.
Prevention and Awareness:
- Raising community awareness about sexual assault, promoting prevention strategies, and engaging in outreach and education to challenge societal norms that perpetuate sexual violence.
Continuous Improvement:
- Striving for excellence through ongoing training, research, and evaluation to enhance our services, advocate for policy changes, and contribute to best practices in the field of sexual assault care.

History

Sexual Assault Response Center was founded in 1975 as the Augusta SARC Line, Inc. in response to the emergency room advocacy and crisis line needs of victims of rape and sexual assault in Augusta, Georgia. In 1980 the program gave up its incorporation and became a fundamental part of the newly created Help Line — A Direct Service of United Way of the CSRA. This was a crisis intervention and Rape Crisis program operating 24 hours day, 7 days a week. Trained community volunteers under the supervision of the Director responded appropriately in crisis situations.

Due to increased state funding and the expansion of specialized services, the sexual assault program, to include the Director and volunteers, moved to University Hospital in 1985. Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services continued operations as a program of University Health Care System (legally as a non-profit under University Health Services, Inc.) located in Augusta, Georgia in Richmond County until January 2024. Sexual Assault Response Center legally achieved it’s 501(c)(3) status in 2024 and continues to provide a wide array of direct and prevention services to the community, the victims of sexual assault, their families, and those assisting victims of all types of violence, particularly sexual assault.

Since 1975, SARC has only been able to provide advocacy services and counseling to survivors of sexual assault. However, in September 2024, SARC introduced the SANE program, in which nurses can be specially trained in trauma-informed sexual assault care and evidence collection. This improves the probability of FMEs being conducted to the survivor’s benefit and comfort and of SAKs being collected according to proper standards.