Thanks to a Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of West Tennessee, WRAP (Wo/Men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program) presented the Jackson Police Department (JPD) with 7,000 updated victim information cards at a press conference at JPD Headquarters on Wed., Oct. 25.
The 7,000 cards that patrol officers provide on-scene to domestic violence victims include information about victims’ legal rights, as well as warrant procedures. New for these cards that have been used for decades is information about the Safe Hope Center, the Family Justice Center where survivors can go to receive a wealth of support and services from agencies including the JPD Domestic and Sexual Violence Unit, WRAP, the District Attorney’s Office and West Tennessee Legal Services. The cards also offer WRAP’s 24/7 helpline number at 800-273-8712.
“We are grateful to WRAP for including JPD as part of this grant-supported project,” said Chief Thom Corley, Jackson Police Department. “We value our partnership with WRAP as we work collaboratively to support victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Jackson. These updated cards will help our officers ensure that victim safety and wellbeing are front and center.”
Rallying under the banner of Wrapping West Tennessee in Support, the Community Foundation-funded campaign’s overall goal is to ignite a collective conversation about domestic and sexual violence and galvanize the community to prevent it, address its harrowing impact, and make ending violence a top priority.
Also as part of the campaign, WRAP created a series of toolkits with information and resources for employers, the community at large, the faith community, healthcare providers and government officials and agencies. WRAP also created specialized plastic clings for mirrors with their helpline number and a QR code to their website that they are asking businesses, places of worship and other venues where people congregate to place in restrooms, providing a confidential and safe way for survivors to reach out to WRAP for help.
“We cannot fulfill our mission of ending violence without community support and without partnerships with agencies like the Jackson Police Department and organizations like the Community Foundation of West Tennessee,” said Mamie Hutcherson, Executive Director of WRAP. “Awareness is critical to our ability to support those who are suffering often times in silence, so having the financial resources to launch a community-awareness campaign like this can have a profound impact on those who need it most.”
Any business, organization or agency interested in having mirror clings and WRAP posters can contact WRAP at support@wraptn.org or call 731-668-0411 to request those items. The information toolkits are available on WRAP’s website at www.wraptn.org/toolkits.
