W&L Students Lend a Hand
Washington and Lee students continue to contribute to the Lexington and Rockbridge community — and even beyond — in numerous ways throughout the academic year.
Two of the most recent examples are a new Habitat for Humanity initiative and a partnership with Fear 2 Freedom, a non-profit organization that aids individuals who have been sexually assaulted or abused.
The University’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter staged a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Doremus Gymnasium earlier this month. It drew 11 teams and raised $600 for the Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity.
Meanwhile, W&L students partnered with Fear 2 Freedom by assembling after-care kits for sexual assault and abuse victims. They then gave the kits to Augusta Health Center, in Fishersville, Va.
Fear 2 Freedom was founded in 2011 by Rosemary Trible, a rape survivor and the wife of Washington and Lee alumnus Paul S. Trible Jr. ’71L, former U.S. senator from Virginia and current president of Christopher Newport University. Rosemary Trible’s 2010 book, “Fear to Freedom,” tells the story of her rape at gunpoint in 1975, her recovery, and how she has reached out to others who have experienced a similar trauma.
When a rape victim goes to the hospital for an exam to recover physical evidence, his or her clothes are kept as evidence. The W&L students made care packages for victims, containing toiletries such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes and washcloths, and clothing intended to replace personal effects that are held for evidence. The kits are different for those 12 and under and for those 13 through adult.
Fear 2 Freedom’s goal is “restoring joy” to those who have been sexually assaulted or abused. They use a 2 in their name in reference to the statistic that someone is assaulted in the U.S. every 2 minutes.
“The Rockbridge Report,” the award-winning website and television news program produced by W&L journalism students, reported on the Fear 2 Freedom project, including an interview with Rosemary Trible. You can watch that report below:
