A letter from the 2021 Annual Report, which can be viewed here.
Dear Friends of TAOS,
2021 was a year of growth and momentum for The Army of Survivors. Before highlighting the successes we had, it’s important to acknowledge how difficult a year it was for so many. COVID-19 ravaged on, continuing to upend much of the world as we know it while highlighting health disparities and other areas of society where equity and inclusion are lacking. This fact further propels our need to prioritize how we best serve all athletes no matter their sport, race, ethnicity, country of origin, or gender. The safeguarding of every athlete is essential and we commit to furthering our mission of bringing awareness, accountability and transparency to sexual violence against athletes at all levels.
As The Army of Survivors’ first Executive Director, my inaugural year was full of momentous events in the nonprofit’s history, some of which were already described by Grace and are detailed further in the report.
I had the honor of co-leading such efforts alongside dedicated members of our board and staff – individuals whose commitment to social change on behalf of survivors is infectious. Survivors with lived experience continue to be a priority in all that we do, whether it be hosting Survivor Speak Outs or facilitating Survivor Roundtables to help guide our policy efforts. Being a trauma-informed organization while promoting trauma-informed practices in every aspect of athlete safeguarding will remain our guidepost as we grow and cultivate new and existing partnerships.
Thank you to all who supported us – survivors, athletes, family and friends of athletes, aspiring allies, individual donors, and grantmakers like the Oak Foundation, Global Sports Development and the Tides Foundation. We appreciate you and will do everything we can throughout the coming year to strive toward our mutual goal of a future free of sexual assault in sports.
With deep gratitude and resolve,
Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran
Executive Director, The Army of Survivors
