The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

This $750,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) will fund the "Prevent, Protect, Prevail: A Multigenerational Approach to Disrupting Sexual Assault in Eagle County" project implemented by the Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado Foundation. The project will: 1) Provide evidence-based sexual violence prevention education to at least 700 high school students and 150 college students annually; 2) Conduct community engagement events to share information and resources on sexual violence intervention and consent; 3) Operate an emergency crisis line and provide trained advocates to assist victims of sexual assault; 4) Coordinate with the local Sexual Assault Response Team; and 5) Offer long-term healing strategies including behavioral health treatment and a cycling/wilderness program for survivors. This 36-month project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of women and children in the rural Eagle County, Colorado community by addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities by encouraging collaboration among victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, other criminal justice service providers, human and community service providers, educational institutions, and health care providers; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (B) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. Through this new OVW rural program project, bright future foundation for eagle county, in partnership with eagle county school district, vail health behavioral health, colorado mountain medical, the sacred cycle, and the fifth judicial district office of the district attorney, will implement prevent, protect, prevail: a multigenerational approach to disrupting sexual assault in eagle county. This project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, and 4 for eagle county, colorado. Specifically, thisproject will: 1)engage high school students in eagle county school district (at least 700 in each of the three years of the grant period) and college students at colorado mountain college (at least 150 in a three year period) with evidenced-based education focused on sexual violence prevention and consent; 2) attendcommunity engagement events to provide information and resources on sexual violence intervention and consent; 3) provide an emergency crisis line and trained advocates to assist victims of sexual assault; 4) coordinate with the sexual assault response team (SART) multidisciplinary team in the fifth judicial district of colorado, to include monthly community partner meetings; and 5)provide long-term healing strategies including behavioral health treatment by bright future foundations trauma-trained licensed clinicians, and survivor participation in a cycling/wildness program to aid recovery from sexual assault trauma. The project will also address the following priority area: priority area 2: prevent and end sexual assault. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.