The Sexual Assault Resource Agency, a Charlottesville-based nonprofit, has worked to eliminate sexual violence for the past 51 years. Powered by a small staff of employees from Charlottesville and volunteers from the University, the agency aims to address sexual violence and its risk factors in Charlottesville and the nearby counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson.
In light of recent challenges — including troubling rates of sexual assault and funding cuts to victim service projects — SARA has doubled down on efforts to maintain its free sexual assault services, working to secure more grants and corporate sponsors. As they continue to stabilize their services, they emphasize that their volunteers and community partners are essential to spreading awareness and sustaining their impact. These contributions, many from students, have made strides against sexual assault on and off Grounds and highlighted what more could be done to reduce sexual violence at the University.
SARA was founded in 1974 by a group of local women concerned about the lack of sexual assault resources in Charlottesville. To better prepare the community to respond to sexual violence, the women established a 24/7 hotline for sexual assault survivors, a service which SARA still maintains today.
Since then, SARA has expanded its resources to offer free, confidential services to survivors of sexual assault and individuals who know someone affected by sexual assault. These additional services include a therapy program and a group of ER advocates that work in the U.Va. Health Emergency Department and Student Health and Wellness.
To more holistically address the risk factors of sexual assault, SARA also administers programs related to prevention, education and advocacy. One program is Coaching Boys into Men, a student-athlete workshop to help young men — mostly at the high school level — learn to have respect for themselves and others, especially women and girls.
The backbone of SARA, however, is still their hotline. In 2022, the agency responded to approximately 300 hotline calls, provided over 130 individuals with counseling services and accompanied nearly 50 during forensic examinations.
Currently, the agency only has nine full-time employees and 12 part-time employees. Given the large workload demanded of a small staff, SARA has worked to engage the wider community in its mission, according to SARA Executive Director Bass Wolf.
“We're a small group … working toward this vast mission,” Wolf said. “The best way for us to overcome the challenge is to encourage people to join us.”
Currently, 35 trained volunteers — many of whom are University students — assist SARA in various tasks, including responding to hotline calls and helping out in community outreach events. Stella Alexiou, hotline volunteer and emergency room advocate for SARA and fourth-year College student, described what a hotline shift is like for her.
“I’ll take a shift, and anyone who calls a hotline will be forwarded to my phone,” Alexiou said. “I will then provide crisis management services, as well as direct them to resources in the community and at SARA.”
One of the agency’s core goals is to ensure all their services remain free of charge to survivors, especially emergency services like their hotline. For financial assistance, according to SARA Development Manager Priya Bajaj, SARA staff place a heavy emphasis on fundraising.
“There should never be a financial barrier if you need our services,” Bajaj said. “We are here to help you get on the path to healing. Wherever you may be at that point, we can meet you there.”
According to Wolf, federal funding for Virginia’s sexual and domestic violence agencies and statewide hotline dropped by 54 percent over the past five years, putting pressure on agencies to prioritize other sources of funding.
“Without a state investment, survivors of sexual and domestic violence in Virginia are at risk of losing crucial access to essential services and resources,” Wolf said.
In response to recent funding cuts, Wolf said SARA set goals for the fiscal year 2026 to increase individual donations and grant revenue. SARA also continues to engage in corporate and local partnerships, such as by maintaining close ties with community leaders and local restaurants. Wolf said partnerships like these stem from SARA’s mission to address sexual violence where it is heavily concentrated, specifically in the service industry.
“Some of the work that we do means being in places where violence happens,” Wolf said. “By partnering in these relationships with other local businesses, we get to collaborate on projects that promote each other's work.”
SARA has also historically engaged in collaborative events with the University community. In the 1980s, University students completed a “rock-a-thon,” raising money for SARA by rocking in chairs for 24 hours straight. More recently, the agency has focused on keeping up strong connections with Take Back the Night, a Contracted Independent Organization that aims to raise awareness of sexual assault, and Alpha Omega Epsilon, a professional and social sorority for female-identifying students studying engineering and technical sciences.
SARA is located 10 minutes from central Grounds and has a significant impact at the University, supporting many students who have faced sexual assault themselves. In October, the University released results from a Higher Education Sexual Misconduct Awareness survey conducted last spring, which revealed that among respondents, 19.7 percent of undergraduate women, 6.5 percent of undergraduate men, 5 percent of graduate women and 2.3 percent of graduate men reported experiencing sexual assault.
SARA attracts many students in need of support with services specifically tailored to sexual assault. SARA also offers an additional perceived level of anonymity for students, as many SARA staff members do not have direct ties to the University. Alexiou described the compassion she received from a SARA ER advocate at the University hospital following an on-Grounds experience with sexual assault during her first year.
“I really saw how much of a difference it made to have someone who was sitting there, not to find out my medical history, not to examine me — someone who was genuinely just there to support me and someone I didn’t have any previous ties to,” Alexiou said.
Following the incident, Alexiou joined SARA as a hotline volunteer, completing 40 hours of training before working in the role. After an additional 12 hours of training, she became an ER advocate the summer before her third year. She described how her personal experience with sexual assault has shaped her passion to help other individuals affected by sexual assault.
“Having my own experiences has helped me to realize how complicated, how difficult it is to articulate your emotions [after a sexual assault incident],” Alexiou said.
According to Alexiou, there is much work left to be done by the University to prevent and handle cases of sexual violence on Grounds. While incoming students are required to complete Sexual Assault Prevention Training modules, as well as review the modules every two years, Alexiou said the University can complete more frequent and concrete actions to address sexual assault among students.
“Doing a 30-minute training at the beginning of the school year and then never talking about it again doesn't really address the issue at the root,” Alexiou said. “The University needs to talk … and give more resources to students. On the same front, it needs to realize that students are perpetrators of violence and take measurable steps in order to help reduce that.”
Bajaj said one way University community members can help spread awareness about sexual assault is showing up to events related to the cause. March 27, SARA will host its annual fundraiser, Twilight Toast, at the Fry’s Spring Beach Club, where attendees may donate to the agency through sliding scale ticket fees.
“If you can't donate money, donate your time,” Bajaj said. “We really want to have more of a voice in the community, so people know that we are available and accessible.”
Alexiou also emphasized the communal aspect of fighting sexual assault. Besides attending events, she said students should simply check on one another to help prevent incidents of violence.
“It's just a basic concept — look out for your friends,” Alexiou said.
If you have been affected by sexual assault or know someone who has, you may reach out to SARA and similar organizations for support.
Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA):
24-hour hotline: (434) 977-7273
Shelter for Help in Emergency:
24-hour hotline: (434) 293-8509
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS):
24-hour hotline: (434) 243-5150
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