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

The Bright Future Foundation for Eagle County was awarded a $700,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women's Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589). The 36-month grant, effective October 1, 2024, will support the implementation of the "Prevent, Protect, Prevail" project to address sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado. Key activities include prevention education in schools and the community, establishment of a 24/7 crisis line and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) services, and long-term trauma-informed counseling and healing programs. The project will involve collaboration with regional partners such as the Eagle County School District, Vail Health Behavioral Health, Colorado Mountain Medical, The Sacred Cycle, and the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's Office.

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. Specific activities will include: 1) prevention activities in the eagle county school district, colorado mountain college, and at community events; 2) intervention efforts including a 24/7 crisis line, sane and sart; and 3) 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 address the following priority area: priority area 2: prevent and end sexual assault. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.