San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services Announces Name Change to Partners Against Violence

Unifying the organization and projecting their vision of a future without violence.

San Bernardino, Calif. San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, a nonprofit organization that works to promote healing and support to Survivors of sexual assault and other violent crimes in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, announced today that it has completed a major rebranding. The new name, logo and direction of the organization are designed to further unify and grow the nonprofit, which currently serves the communities of San Bernardino and East Riverside Counties — the largest geographic area of any rape crisis center in the state of California. The name change announcement comes at the beginning of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

Established in 1973 as one of the earliest grass roots rape crisis centers in California, San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, or SBSAS, now includes three full-service Rape Crisis Centers, a Crime Survivors Services Center, and three satellite offices for Survivors to access services and support. Their team includes nearly 200 qualified and trained crisis response advocates and community volunteers, who provide support 24/7 to Survivors in the community.

The agency’s new name, Partners Against Violence, was chosen to represent the organization’s partnership with both the community and Survivors. It also encompasses their updated mission: Partnering to build healthy relationships, families, communities, and generations that are free from violence. The new logo, which shows two hands coming together in partnership and support, feature three meaningful colors; teal, which represents sexual assault awareness; blue, representing crime survivor awareness; and purple, the color for domestic violence awareness.

“The decision to rebrand has been a decade in the making. It was made with growth and unity in mind,” said Executive Director Michelle Cates. “We are not losing anything during this transition. Our commitment to our community and Survivors remains unwavering. Instead, we are bringing together the several areas we serve with one name and growing our services to Survivors of violent crime.”

Until now, each location had its own name. There was the main office known as San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, as well as Coachella Valley Sexual Assault Services in La Quinta, Morongo Basin Sexual Assault Services in Yucca Valley, High Desert Sexual Assault Services in Victorville, Crime Survivor Services in Rancho Cucamonga, and two satellite offices run out of law enforcement stations in Redlands and Yucaipa. Despite the different names, these offices are all part of the larger San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services organization.

“Having the different offices going by different names was not only confusing to the community but at times kept us from working together in a collaborative way,” said Cates. “We are now all Partners Against Violence, which brings a sense of teamwork and unity to our team.”

Additionally, though the majority of their offices primarily provide services to Survivors of sexual assault, the nonprofit expanded their mission to include supporting Survivors of violent crimes with the addition of the Crime Survivor Services program.

“The new name not only needed to be inclusive of Survivors of sexual assault, but also of those Survivors of violent crime,” said board president Leslie Riley. “Partners Against Violence speaks to our mission without placing restrictions on the type of support we provide, or to whom we provide it.”

Visit www.partnersagainstviolence.org to explore the new brand and learn more about the organization.

About Partners Against Violence

Partners Against Violence provides support for Survivors of sexual assault and violent crimes. All of our services are confidential and available at no cost to Survivors, their significant others, and family members. We are partners committed to building healthy relationships, families, communities, and generations that are free from violence.

Media Contact:

Michelle Cates

Executive Director

michelle.c@partnersav.org

(909) 885-8884