Reunion Online

It was middle school. I was playing a game in my head, scrambling letters of words to make other words. I thought of “grape” and all the words I could make using it: ape, pea, are, rap, peg. “What about rape?” I thought to myself. "Is that a word?" I asked my friend’s mom, my ride home that day, and her face immediately turned red. She said to never use it again. It was a “bad word.”

As 2013 comes to a close, we are so grateful for all that we have accomplished because of your generosity. And as we look to the new year, we know that we can only make the most of these moments with your support. Thank you for being a part of our joyful community.

Two weeks ago, eight men whose portraits and biographies appear on the Bristlecone website lent their portraits and statements to the gallery of survivors on the web site of the NO MORE campaign. These men, and their brothers at Bristlecone, have chosen to sit in front of a camera and to look directly into the camera’s lens.

As we pause to share our gratitude at this time of Thanksgiving, we want to thank you for supporting our work. Today, with our deepest and heartfelt gratitude, we are proud to share our report on the Joyful Heart Foundation’s 2012 – 2013 accomplishments.

1,400 views in 3 days. I don’t think that, that number—despite the embarrassing number of times I have refreshed my Vimeo page—has sunk in yet.

Today, with great excitement, gratitude and pride, we reveal an unprecedented PSA campaign for NO MORE. Directed by Joyful Heart's Founder & President, Mariska Hargitay, our cast includes more than 40 celebrities and public figures who have joined the campaign—added their voices—to say NO MORE to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Patti Giggans from Peace Over Violence speaks to the issues surrounding rape and sexual assault here in the USA.

This month, we have the unique privilege of acknowledging and raising awareness around child abuse and neglect. April, National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, is dedicated to encouraging parents and caregivers to recognize the importance of promoting the social and emotional well being of children and families in communities.

Even a few years ago, who would have imagined that the opening plenary panel at the 2013 End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) conference (last week in Baltimore) would focus on supporting men who have experienced unwanted or abusive childhood sexual interactions. It’s difficult to overstate the value of a shift in thinking that exposed nearly 1,200 conference participants—including advocates, investigators, prosecutors and clinicians—to the notion of engaging men as direct beneficiaries of efforts to end sexual violence. What a long way we’ve come!