Joyful Heart Community, We just posted about our new Engaging Men initiative and hope that you take a moment to learn more about it here. We also have another, no less exciting initiative that we would like you to be a part of too. You may remember that back in May and June, Joyful Heart competed in the Chase Community Giving program. Thanks to your support, we received a total of $65,000 to go towards our work to end the backlog of untested rape kits This time around is even more thrilling for us. We have been selected among 24 other organizations to participate in the American Giving Awards sponsored by Chase. The winner will receive $1 million to fund their Big Idea. $1 million!

Voting goes until October 5 at noon.

Here's how it works: The 25 organizations have each been placed in a 5 categories and Joyful Heart is in great company with 4 other organizations in the Champions of Health & Wellness category. The organization with the most votes in their category will move on to Round 2. If we move on to Round 2, we'll automatically receive a minimum gift of $125,000. And the prizes just go up from there—the organization that receives the most votes will receive $1 million to fund their Big Idea. What is our Big Idea, you ask? We're committed to making our idea the biggest it can possibly be. We put our heads together to talk about how we can best make a difference with such an extraordinary gift. Every year, tens of thousands of individuals report a sexual assault to the police. After an assault, survivors undergo a 4-6 hour exam to collect DNA and forensic evidence that goes into what is known as a rape kit. Today, the federal government estimates that over 200,000 untested kits sit in storage facilities across the United States. Each untested rape kit represents lost healing and justice for survivors. So our Big Idea is to improve the community response to sexual violence and end the rape kit backlog. We'll do this in a number of ways:

• By creating replicable victim-centered best practices, which will help foster trusting and open relationships between survivors and responders.
• By totally overhauling endthebacklog.org, the only site dedicated to raising awareness about the rape kit backlog.
• By deepening our partnership with the City of Detroit and other jurisdictions across the country to help end local backlogs.
• And, by using and leveraging these funds to test rape kits.

Your clicks will truly mean something big. To vote now, simply visit Chase Community Giving Facebook site and click the "Like" button. Then browse to http://tinyurl.com/votejhf and cast your vote!

Spread the Word: Want some great ways to spread the word to your friends and family? You can start by making sure you have "Liked" our page on Facebook and follow @TheJHF on Twitter. We'll be updating them regularly throughout the competition. Be sure to ask your family and friends to do the same. Sharing our Facebook posts and retweeting us on Twitter is a great way to let your community know about the competition. Why not start there? Want some tweets of your own? Try one of these:

• I support @TheJHF in #chasegiving to #endthebacklog of untested rape kits. You can too! Just a couple clicks - http://tinyurl.com/votejhf
• I voted for @TheJHF to bring healing & justice for survivors of sexual violence. Will you vote too? #chasegiving http://tinyurl.com/votejhf
• Will you take a minute to vote for @TheJHF in #chasegiving? They're up for $1 mill & every vote counts - http://tinyurl.com/votejhf

Some advice as you go to spread the word far and wide: we've learned that one-on-one engagement works best when you're asking your friends and family to vote.

So try tweeting at people or send them a direct message.

Chat with your friends on Facebook--tell them why it's important to you and give them the easy voting instructions.

Talk to people in person about this initiative. Have a laptop handy and in front of them so that they can vote!

We'll be updating you regularly throughout voting on ways you can help spread the word. Do you have tips and tricks of your own? Let us and our community know in the comments below. As always, we are so grateful to have your support. And be sure to catch a replay of last night's groundbreaking episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC.com.

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