In Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, the Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center (SARCC) gives survivors of sexual violence a local place to turn for support and help navigating the path toward healing.
SARCC provides no-cost counseling and advocacy, with trained support available 24 hours a day. The organization expands on this critical work, providing education throughout the community to prevent sexual violence and help people understand where to turn when support is needed.
“Having access to these supportive services in the community makes a world of difference, both for the survivors and for the people who love them,” shared Ali Perrotto, president and CEO of SARCC.
That support is only possible when SARCC has the means to keep trained staff and services available. As state and federal funding has declined, support from The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) and its donors has helped SARCC continue meeting survivors where they are and responding to changing community needs.
Support That Keeps Services Available
For years, TFEC and its donors have invested in that work. TFEC has provided more than $230,000 in grants to support SARCC, including ongoing funding through the Kids Trust Fund.
That support has become especially important as other funding sources have declined. SARCC reported losses of more than $200,000 in state and federal support in recent years.
Perrotto said TFEC funding has helped SARCC continue advocacy for children and families and sustain trauma therapy when federal funding changed or disappeared. It has also helped the organization develop new programs and partnerships in response to community needs.
“In hard times, TFEC helps us survive. In times when funding is a little bit more robust, it helps us to grow,” Perrotto said.
Through 2024 and 2025, SARCC served over 1,000 children and adults and provided more than 4,850 hours of victim services. The organization also reported a 15% increase in service requests.
Those numbers represent people at some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and SARCC’s support often shows up in simple, practical ways. Perrotto described advocates bringing Play-Doh for children to squeeze while they wait nervously to speak with others about what happened. At other times, advocates sit beside survivors at the hospital or help them understand what to expect from the legal process.
SARCC has also expanded into supportive housing. Since adding that work two years ago, the organization has provided more than 3,000 nights of housing. Stable housing can give survivors an opportunity to access therapy and other services, find employment and create greater stability for their children.
Supporting Healing and Prevention
SARCC’s work is not limited to helping people after sexual violence occurs. Prevention is also part of its mission.
The organization works with children and adults to build skills that can help prevent abuse and recognize warning signs. In the last two years, SARCC reached 16,645 people through prevention education and offered more than 800 programs.
Perrotto said communities do not have to accept sexual violence as inevitable.
“We can learn, we can build skills and we have great community resources to help with that,” she said.
Support from TFEC donors and fund holders helps make both sides of SARCC’s mission possible. It helps ensure services remain available for people who need them today while giving the organization opportunities to strengthen prevention and respond to changing needs.
Perrotto said local supporters have helped SARCC remain strong during difficult funding periods and grow when new opportunities become possible. For donors who care about preventing sexual violence and helping survivors heal, that support can have a direct local impact by helping ensure that when someone is ready to ask for help, someone is there to answer.
Help Strengthen Local Organizations
Your giving can help organizations like SARCC continue providing critical support in our communities. To learn how you can support this work through TFEC, contact our Philanthropy Team at 717-236-5040 or philanthropy@tfec.org.
