Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Services

09/03/2026

Executive Director Shawna and Associate Director Heather joined Jessica from MECASA yesterday at Bigos Law to hear from survivors of institutional abuse, those who have championed them in litigation, and to hold space for these deeply impactful stories. Listening to their experiences is a powerful reminder of why we continue fighting every day to ensure survivors are heard, believed, and supported.

Grateful for the opportunity yesterday to attend a press conference at Bigos Law featuring some incredible survivors who spoke eloquent truth to a powerful institution. And I got to spend some time with these amazing and awesome advocates from Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Services!

Even though they still deserve so much more accountability than they've gotten, these survivors' courage in speaking up and telling their stories has made meaningful changes in the public's understanding and in public policy. MECASA will keep working to make sure that their stories are heard and that institutions are called to answer when they fail to protect those in their care.

You can watch a the coverage of this event here - https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/we-demand-an-apology-more-survivors-of-portland-dioceses-s*xual-abuse-come-forward-after-settlement-maine/97-d4da980b-8f53-452e-a0f6-4101589e8431

Or read about it here: https://www.pressherald.com/?p=7715690&uuid=7a6060a2-d160-4b4c-b97a-b2669820d286&lid=244135

09/03/2026

Gloria Steinem understood something that those of us who work to end s*xual violence know in our bones:

Sexual violence is not about s*x. It is about power.

For decades, she challenged the stories we had been taught to accept as inevitable.

That r**e was somehow about what a woman wore.
That her s*xuality invited it.
That her silence meant consent.
That violence inside a home was “private.”
That what happened to women belonged behind closed doors.

She helped drag those things into the light.

Steinem understood that naming violence is an act of resistance. When we name what is happening, we stop allowing it to be dismissed as just life, just s*x, just a bad relationship, just one person’s experience.

We begin to see the pattern.

And once we see the pattern, we can change it.

Her work repeatedly returned to the connection between violence and hierarchy, between the right to control another person’s body and the larger systems that teach us some people are entitled to power over others.

She put it plainly:

“Rape is not s*x; it’s violence.”

And she challenged us to disentangle s*xuality from violence, intimacy from domination and love from control.

She also understood the power of telling the truth.

Because every survivor who speaks breaks a little bit of the isolation that violence depends upon.

Every person who listens without blaming breaks another piece.

Every advocate who says I believe you pushes back against a culture that has spent generations asking victims to prove why they didn’t prevent their own assault.

Every educator who teaches consent changes what the next generation understands about bodies, boundaries, power and humanity.

And every person who refuses to be silent makes the invisible visible.

Steinem once wrote that “telling each other our stories is the single most revolutionary act in every way.”

That is the work.

We listen.
We believe.
We name it.
We challenge the systems that protect it.
We teach something different.
We stand beside survivors.
And we keep moving.

Because s*xual violence is not inevitable.

It is not “just the way things are.”

And ending it requires more than teaching people how to survive violence.

It requires changing the conditions that allow violence to happen in the first place.

That is feminism.

That is advocacy.

And that is the work we still have to do.

Thank you, Gloria.

09/02/2026

"I knew that this happened and that we all deserved to tell our stories." — Annie Allen, Survivor

Institutional betrayal runs deep. For decades, survivors who were abused as children by clergy in the Diocese of Portland were met with silence, power imbalances and legal walls designed to protect the system rather than the individuals harmed by it.

Even when institutions attempt to use legal maneuvers to escape liability, the truth does not change. Coming forward against powerful institutions requires immense courage and every single story brought to light helps expose systemic abuse and dismantle the cultures that allowed it to happen.

To anyone holding trauma caused by institutional abuse: your experience is real, your voice matters and you deserved safety then, just as you deserve justice and healing now.

MECASA and SAPARS staff were on hand for this brave and important event.

You do not have to carry this alone. SAPARS is here to offer confidential, unconditional support whenever you are ready.

24/7 Confidential Maine Helpline: 1-800-871-7741

Resources & Support: sapars.org

About a dozen people who say they were abused by priests in the Diocese of Portland are speaking about their recent settlement.

STORY: https://bit.ly/4xvpRDr

09/01/2026

We officially kicked off our fundraiser with The Orange Cat Cafe Farmington today! 🧡

Our very own Shawna was there to help launch things and celebrate!

Stop by 147 Pleasant Street in Farmington to grab something delicious and support SAPARS. There are two super easy ways your coffee run or lunch break makes a difference:

Today (Sept. 1st): 10% of all sales go directly to supporting our services!

All September long: You can round up your total at the register to benefit SAPARS!

A huge thank you to the amazing crew at Orange Cat Cafe for partnering with us. Treat yourself to a good meal today and help us spread the word! 💙

09/01/2026

We kicked off this past weekend in the most awesome way! 🍻

A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came out to Ambition Brewing on Friday night to support SAPARS! We had such a great time connecting with our community, enjoying awesome brews, and raising support for the vital work we do every day.

Special thanks to the amazing team at Ambition Brewing for supporting and hosting us, and a huge shoutout to Teachers Lounge Mafia for bringing the energy and keeping us entertained all night! You all are incredible community partners, and your support means the world to us. 💙

Thank you to everyone who bought a drink, caught the show, dropped in a donation, or just stopped by to say hi—you make this work possible!

08/27/2026

Professional development means better support for our local kids and families! 💙

Our CAC Family Advocate, Logan, recently traveled to Dallas, Texas for the national Crimes Against Children Conference to represent SAPARS and the Children's Advocacy Center of Androscoggin, Franklin & Oxford Counties.

"It was such an honor to go to an event that pulled in people from all around the nation... law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, child protection caseworkers, forensic interviewers & advocates from all across the US. All were there to share strategies or resources to help our work with survivors. It was incredible to be surrounded by a large community of people that work everyday to help support such an innocent population, but also learn the most trauma-informed care for the families we serve." — Logan, CAC Family Advocate

Over four days of intensive sessions, case studies, and forums, Logan brought home the latest research and trauma-informed practices to directly benefit the youth and families we serve right here in Maine.

A big thank you to MECASA, SAPARS, and CAC-AFO for making this trip possible!

🌐 Learn more about our CAC team and services: sapars.org/cac

08/26/2026

Not all superheroes wear capes—some wear therapy vests. 🐾

Happy to Boss, our CAC Therapy Dog! Thank you for bringing healing and smiles to children and families across our community. 💙

Send Boss some love in the comments! 👇
🌐 sapars.org/cac

08/26/2026

Today is Women’s Equality Day, but we aren't just celebrating how far we've come, we're focused on the barriers still in the way.

Real equality is impossible without bodily autonomy and safety. When s*xual violence and harassment persist, true equality remains out of reach. That’s where the real work begins.

At SAPARS, we don't just talk about equality. We fight for it every single day across Androscoggin, Oxford, and Franklin counties.

That means:

Answering the helpline at 3 AM without judgment.

Walking beside survivors through the hardest moments of their lives.

Teaching our community what real consent, boundary setting, and respect look like.

You want to honor women today?

Believe survivors the first time.

Shut down victim blaming and harassment when you see it.

Support the local work making real change happen.

We’ve got your back: 24/7, 365 days a year.

📞 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-871-7741

Learn more: sapars.org