Published on April 22, 2025

Bronson Sexual Assault Services and S.A.F.E. Place Awarded $500,000 Grant to Continue Youth Violence Prevention Efforts

Nina Patterson, S.A.F.E. Place Prevention Coordinator, posing with award.

nBronson Sexual Assault Services Community Educator, Laurie Hartman presents the Outstanding Professional Partner in Prevention Award to Nina Patterson, S.A.F.E. Place Prevention Educator and Coordinator at the SAS Annual Benefit Dinner on April 10, 2025.

A partnership between Bronson Sexual Assault Services (SAS) and S.A.F.E. Place, a Battle Creek-based organization that empowers victims of intimate partner violence and sex trafficking, was recently awarded a three-year continuation grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to further expand their efforts to help prevent domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking among children and youth in Calhoun County. The federal grant is one of just 18 awarded nationwide in the 2024 grant cycle.

The Children and Youth Grant, administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), supports comprehensive, community-based programs that develop and expand prevention, intervention, treatment and response strategies for children and youth impacted by violence.

“We know that children and teenagers often don't come forward about abuse until far after the fact. By building strong connections and rapport we can create supportive spaces that encourage youths to come forward sooner, thus reducing the amount of time they are struggling alone,” says Nina Patterson, S.A.F.E. Place Prevention Coordinator.

The first grant cycle, awarded in 2020 was extended through September 2024 due to pandemic-related delays, laid the foundation for the Calhoun County Inter-Agency Youth Prevention Project. Thanks to the initial grant, the project has achieved significant milestones:

  • In 2024, over 6,800 K-12 students participated in school-based prevention education through the Youth Violence Prevention Project in Calhoun County.
  • More than 3,100 students received complementary services from SAS through other funding, bringing the total number of youths reached to almost 10,000 students.
  • This effort has effectively doubled the number of students served before the original Office on Violence Against Women grant.
  • Battle Creek Public Schools partnered with SAS to implement prevention education for K-12 students, staff, parents and allied professionals.
  • S.A.F.E. Place hired a full-time community outreach coordinator to collaborate with the community educator at SAS.
  • An additional part-time outreach counselor was hired to provide in-school counseling for students affected by teen dating violence and sex trafficking.
  • A multidisciplinary response team was established to bring together school and community partners to guide project initiatives.

The continuation grant will allow S.A.F.E. Place and SAS to significantly expand their prevention programming, including the addition of a part-time prevention educator at S.A.F.E. Place. This expansion has already resulted in Marshall Public Schools and Harper Creek Community Schools joining the community-based support groups and educational initiatives. By increasing the number of participating school districts, prevention educators now serve students in 17 school buildings across the three school districts, substantially strengthening the program’s reach and impact.

“In just a year and a half, I’ve seen a noticeable shift in student awareness and engagement, especially in recognizing and addressing unhealthy relationships,” says Elizabeth Gilbert, youth health educator at Harper Creek. “After lessons on healthy relationships and dating abuse, several students have shared personal realizations about their own experiences and have taken steps to advocate for themselves. It”s powerful to see them gain the confidence to stand up for their well-being, showing that these lessons truly make a lasting impact.”

All services provided by S.A.F.E. Place and Bronson Sexual Assault Services are free and confidential to protect victims and their families.

For immediate support, victims of sexual assault can call the Sexual Assault Services 24-hour crisis line at (888) 383-2192. Victims of domestic violence can call the S.A.F.E. Place 24-hour hotline at (888) 664-983.