LOUISE HARDER | STRATEGIST
The Army of Survivors has been working very hard to make sure this organization is as successful as possible and your support is making the most impact in the community. This means we have been taking a critical look at all aspects of The Army of Survivors. On December 10, 2018, our Board of Directors voted to fine tune our mission in order to fill a void within the field of sexual violence. While our organization will always support any survivor on their journey, we have decided to focus our efforts to support athlete survivors. Our new mission will read: Bring awareness, accountability, and transparency regarding the sexual violence of athletes at all levels.
In our recent internal and external analyses, we found there is no national organization advocating and supporting child athlete survivors of sexual violence, though the number of survivors in this area is staggering. Three out of four American families with school-aged children have at least one playing an organized sport — a total of about 45 million kids (Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014). According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), over 8 million high school students participate in organized sports (2018). Over 460,000 NCAA student-athletes – more than ever before – compete in sports at the collegiate level every year (NCAA, 2018). According to Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), between 2 and 8% of athletes (both minors and young adults) are victims of sexual assault – with elite athletes having higher rates of sexual assault than lower-level athletes. Also, studies indicate females are sexually abused in sports more often than males (INSPQ, 2012). These athletes need a voice.
Please see our Executive Summary to learn more about our new focus. This change will NOT have an impact on any previous donations. All donations will continue to fund small grants to nonprofit organizations that offer safe spaces for survivors, advocate for culture change, and educate youth and communities about sexual assault and its repercussions. If you are a survivor (athlete or not) and need additional support, please see this list of resources. We believe you and support you every step of your journey.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us privately at thearmyofsuvivors@gmail.com. We know this can be a big change for our community and want you to feel comfortable supporting us. We aim to be as transparent as possible in our decisions. We are more than happy to consider all feedback and respond to all questions.
Disclaimer: While many of our volunteers are Larry Nassar Sister Survivors, this organization and entity is separate from the Sister Survivors. Our statements and actions may not necessarily represent the views of the Sisters Survivors, nor are we representative of the Sister Survivors.
