OneEighty Leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month Outreach Across Wayne, Holmes Counties

OneEighty advocate and outreach specialist Tina Zickefoose had a concrete message when she stood before Holmes County Commissioners on April 6: know where to go, and know who to call. The commissioners responded by formally declaring April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, joining OneEighty's monthlong push across Wayne and Holmes counties to shift the community from passive awareness to immediate action.

The scale of need makes that shift urgent. OneEighty's 24-hour crisis hotline, 1-800-686-1122, averages 60 callers per month from survivors and people seeking help across both counties. That figure captures only those who reach out. In a county defined by tight-knit communities, Plain-sect populations, and limited public transportation, many survivors never make that call at all. This April marks the 25th annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month nationwide, observed under the theme "25 Years Stronger: Looking Back, Moving Forward."

For a Holmes County resident who has experienced a sexual assault, the first practical steps are specific. Forensic exams, the medical evidence-collection process that does not require an immediate police report, are available at hospitals in Wooster and Orrville. OneEighty's Holmes County victim advocate, reachable at 330-674-1020, can walk a survivor through the exam process, explain reporting options, and coordinate legal and counseling resources. Confidentiality is protected regardless of whether the survivor chooses to involve law enforcement.

For parents, school administrators, and church leaders, OneEighty's Community Relations and Prevention Department conducts educational presentations on consent, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention across both counties. Organizations can request a presentation by contacting OneEighty's main office at 330-264-8498. The organization accepts most insurance plans including Medicare and Medicaid, and offers a sliding fee schedule for residents seeking mental health services.

Nationally, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds, and roughly 80 percent of assaults are committed by someone the victim already knows. In Holmes County, where social ties run deep and privacy concerns are acute, Zickefoose and her OneEighty colleague Stacey Rehm pressed commissioners on April 6 not just to proclaim the month but to understand the structural barriers survivors face when deciding whether to seek help at all. The proclamation passed. The harder work of closing the gap between that 60-caller monthly average and the actual number of people who need services extends well beyond April.

Resources for Holmes County residents: OneEighty 24-hour crisis hotline, 1-800-686-1122; Holmes County victim advocate, 330-674-1020; main office and counseling appointments, 330-264-8498; forensic exams at hospitals in Wooster and Orrville; National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-4673.