SAAVI Celebrates 20th Anniversary With '$20 for 20' Fundraiser

Utah State University’s Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) Office has been providing victim advocacy services and support to the USU community since 2003. In honor of its 20th anniversary, SAAVI has launched a “$20 for 20” fundraising campaign to increase the funds it can use to provide support for survivors of interpersonal violence.

“We’re asking community members to give $1 for each year we’ve been doing this important work as victim advocates,” said SAAVI director Jenny Erazo. “With these funds, we can help remove barriers along a survivor’s healing journey by providing financial assistance with tuition, temporary living arrangements, child care or medical care.”

SAAVI has partnered with AggieFunded, a giving platform that makes it easy for donors to support their favorite USU programs. Gifts to the SAAVI survivor fund can be made at usu.edu/aggiefunded/saavi. While the theme of the campaign suggests a $20 donation, gifts can be any amount.

When SAAVI began, USU became the first college or university in the state of Utah to have a full-time dedicated employee providing support to victims of sexual assault. The office remains a leader in the state for providing victim services on a college or university campus.

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people seeking support, more reasons for seeking support, and a wider range of needs,” Erazo said.

Through grant funding and university support, the office has grown from one full-time staff member to having a director, an outreach and prevention coordinator, three certified advocates and a team of student interns.

“We’re grateful for the ongoing support of our USU community,” Erazo said. “We hope that people will help us celebrate this anniversary by increasing the amount of assistance we can provide for survivors.”

To learn more about SAAVI services, visit saavi.usu.edu.