Several WKU student organizations are holding fundraisers to raise awareness of sexual assault and to aid victims.

The newly-formed WKU Feminist Student Union has started a fundraiser for Hope Harbor following a sexual assault lawsuit against WKU that was made public earlier this month.

“As feminists and as human beings we must rise up and come together to end sexual assault,” a post on Instagram stated. “Enough is enough. We must stand by the victims and provide them our support.”

According to Olivia Neil, one of the FSU presidents, the organization originally began the fundraiser on Valentine’s Day, right before the lawsuit was publicized.

“We thought it’d be fitting to start a fundraiser for Hope Harbor that day,” Neil said.

Neil said that when the group began the fundraiser, they had no intention of it lasting longer than a couple weeks.

“But when the article was released we wanted to keep it going and we thought it was fitting,” Neil said. “We didn’t want to just stop the word from getting out there on something that is so important.”

In addition to their Instagram page, donations can be made via Venmo or in person at FSU meetings.

The WKU Young Democratic Socialists for America is another student organization that is raising money for Hope Harbor.

“We can work together as a community to ensure that victims in assaults such as these have the resources and support they need,” a post on their Instagram stated. “The fundraiser to Hope Harbor is a conscious effort to support survivors of sexual assault in the Bowling Green community. As an organization, we cannot stand for these kinds of actions to go dismissed by the University’s administration, and we want to ensure that anyone who is a survivor of sexual assault has the proper support and resources to heal.”

Both student organizations are seeking to raise $100 for Hope Harbor.

According to Hope Harbor’s website, it is a “non-profit crisis counseling center that provides one-of-a-kind services to victims of sexual assault and their families and friends.”

“Hope Harbor’s mission is to empower and support anyone impacted by sexual trauma. We are committed to our community to affect social change to eliminate all forms of sexual violence, advocate for the rights of survivors of sexual assault and abuse, and provide specialized treatment interventions,” the website states. 

Hope Harbor’s main office is located in Bowling Green but they have multiple satellite offices located in the surrounding counties.

Investigative Reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @michael_crimm.