Ronkonkoma, NY – Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey was joined by fellow legislators and representatives from the Crime Victims Center in a press conference recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
In April, a press conference was held in partnership with Laura A. Ahearn, Executive Director of the Crime Victims Center, as well as members of the Suffolk County Legislature and County Executive’s Office to officially recognize April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and to bring attention to the initiatives of the Crime Victims Center.
The Crime Victims Center (CVC) is a New York State Rape Crisis Center and is Suffolk County’s only Crime Victim Center of its kind. It partners with various organizations on Long Island including County government, Catholic Health Services of Long Island, educational institutions, and labor and construction unions to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault and methods to prevent it.
The agency offers trauma-informed victim support services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and other violent crimes, in addition to Megan’s Law Community and Law Enforcement Support services. The CVC also offers 30 age appropriate curriculum-based programs for K-12 students, college students, adults and professionals working with children on sexual assault and relationship violence prevention. The agency has educated over 225,000 children, students and adults through these programs.
Presiding Officer McCaffrey and his fellow legislators were “pinned” at the press conference, a sign of their support for the CVC’s current initiatives as well as support for the expansion of its services. This coming year the CVC plans to work towards expanding the Suffolk County Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Response Program.
The Suffolk County Legislature’s Presiding Officer, Legislator Kevin McCaffrey represents Suffolk County's 14th Legislative District, which encompasses the Villages of Lindenhurst and Babylon, the hamlets of West Babylon and North Lindenhurst, portions of Copiague, North Babylon, and Babylon's barrier beach communities.