Monday, September 26, 2005

Wilmington, NC – University of North Carolina Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College are among 1,000 college campuses across the country participating in Get Carded Day on Sept. 28, reaching more than one million students through 5,000 volunteers.

On Wednesday, Sept. 28, local colleges will join forces with Coastal Horizons Center’s Rape Crisis Center and the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) for Get Carded Day 2005. Throughout the day, student peer educators of UNCW CARE: Collaboration for Assault Response and Education, will distribute wallet cards and information about the National Sexual Assault Hotline at a variety of settings on campus. The group will also pass the cards out at a solicitation table in the lobby of the University Union at UNCW between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The staff of the Rape Crisis Center will distribute the same cards at Cape Fear Community College.

People ages 16-24 are three times more at risk of being sexually assaulted than any other age group. These young women and men need to know what they can do to reduce their risk, who to turn to if they are a victim, and how they can help friends who have been victims of sexual assault.

“By participating in Get Carded Day, we are continuing to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and providing valuable information and resources to students, “said Alex Norman, a student co-coordinator of UNCW’s peer education program.

The wallet cards contain information about how to reduce the risk of sexual assault, what to do if you are a victim of sexual assault and tips for men as well. They also have the phone number to Coastal Horizons Center’s Rape Crisis Center, the National Sexual Assault Hotline number, 800.656.HOPE and the Web site address, RAINN.org for more information.

Get Carded is a project of RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization. With a national network of more than 1,100 rape crisis centers across the country, RAINN serves more than 12,000 people per month on our hotline and provides education and outreach in communities nationwide.

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For more information about UNC Wilmington’s participation in Get Carded Day, please contact Rebecca Caldwell at 910/962-7360. For information regarding Cape Fear’s Get Carded Day or Rape Crisis Center, please call Gayle Tabor 910/392-7460. For information regarding RAINN’s National Get Carded Day, please contact Kelley Bevis at 202/544-3075.