SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition announces name change after 36 years
June 13, 2022
After nearly four decades, SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition has rebranded and changed its name to Project R.E.S.T. On July 1, 2022, the domestic and sexual violence nonprofit will officially launch the new brand that includes a new name, tagline and logo.
“Our organization is very excited about this new chapter,” explains Jada Charley, the Upstate nonprofit’s president and CEO. “After months of planning and reimaging what we do, we landed on Project R.E.S.T. and believe the acronym with an emphasis on restoration, empowerment, support and transformation is the perfect representation of our mission.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and a renaming of its administrative building will take place on June 30 at noon, rain or shine, at its main office located at 236 Union St. in Spartanburg. The building will be named to honor retired executive director, Lynn Hawkins. Board members, community partners and staff will be in attendance to recognize significant service milestones and unveil the new brand to the community. Additional parking will be available at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg at 210 Henry Place.
While the name and brand identity will change, the nonprofit will continue all programs and services that have been available to the community since its inception.
With the new brand identity in place, Project R.E.S.T. hopes that all members of the community see the agency as a place that welcomes all and is seriously committed to ending interpersonal violence. Mary “Ginger” Davis, longtime volunteer and current board chair added, “We chose ‘Project’ because we wanted to emphasize that we want to end sexual and domestic violence in our community and that word implies a timeline.”
According to Charley, “Each aspect of our services reflects a different part of R.E.S.T. Our shelter and transitional housing programs help to restore the safety that has been lost, our advocacy services help to empower victims to lead lives free from abuse, our therapy services help to support survivors with the tools that they need to heal from abuse and our prevention services help to transform our community into one that is ending the harmful conditions that lead to domestic and sexual violence.”
About Project R.E.S.T.
Project R.E.S.T.’s mission is to use a collective voice to address the impact of domestic and sexual violence by providing quality services to those affected and to create social change through education, training and activism. The South Carolina-based nonprofit has served the Upstate for nearly 40 years, providing services to victims of domestic violence in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties. Project R.E.S.T. supports more than 1,400 individuals each year. For more information, visit www.projectrest.org
