Our Impact

Here’s what we’ve accomplished:

• Addressed world leaders at the United Nations’ first survivor summit in New York in 2019 at the invitation of Rise Justice Labs about the need for a global bill of rights for survivors;

• Helped to pass the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020 by speaking to members of the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. This bill, now a law, will begin to remedy the governance and system deficiencies in the Olympic structure;

• Worked with multiple organizations in International Safeguarding Children in Sport Working Group to develop evidence-based policies for sports organizations (governing organization, club, elite, or recreational team) to protect athletes’ welfare; 

• Given a keynote address at the 2019 Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests conference,

• Will keynote at the 2020 Safe Sport International Conference in Montreal, Quebec;

• Collaborated with 15 partners and organizations to further the TAOS’ mission (please reference the annual report for a full list of partners);

• Hosted screenings of documentaries about sexual violence in sport, inviting noted panelists to speak with live audiences (at St. Mary’s College in Indiana and at The Ohio State University) about “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” and virtually, due to COVID-19, about “Athlete A;”

• Partnered with five nationally recognized organizations (I’m a Survivor Inc., She Will Speak Series, Voices of Hope, Voices Beyond Assault, and author Astrid Ferguson) to present a panel, virtual due to COVID-19, on the intersectionality of race and sexual violence titled “Shades of Racism in Rape;”

• Developed and shared digital educational materials on the phases of trauma, the science behind trauma, and C-PTSD;

• Shared statistics about sexual assault in LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, as well as statistics of sexual violence and abuse in sport, partnering with organizations including She Will Speak to host “Instagram Takeovers” that allowed voices less-heard communities to be promoted; 

• Developed a Campus Ambassador Program, currently in place at five universities, to target at-risk communities with resources and support for victims of sexual violence; 

• Enacted a Mission Ambassador program to bring notable voices from athletes, Olympians, scholars, actors, activists, and musicians into the conversation to spread awareness of the issue;

• Supported efforts to change Michigan law in 2018 to extend the statute of limitations for children reporting abuse, to eliminate governmental immunity, and to improve on requirements for mandatory reporters with limited success that resulted in two new laws;

• Partnered with the Michigan State University Museum to co-curate a well-attended exhibit, “Finding Our Voice: Sister Survivors Speak,” with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as an opening speaker;

• Co-hosted and participated in five public panels in East Lansing that reached hundreds of attendees on topics related to sexual abuse and assault;

• Implemented a mental health first-aid training that included two dozen participants from throughout Michigan;

• Addressed the Michigan State University Board, successfully advocating for additional support for survivor mental health services;

• Advocated on behalf of athletes sexually abused at the University of Michigan;

• Hosted an online educational seminar for survivors on financial therapy with a nationally recognized financial therapist, with support from a Michigan credit union;

• Developed printable and digital resources to provide support and education to survivors and allies; and

• Distributed printed and digital resources to nearly 3,000 survivors and allies.

• Been mentioned in The New York Times, The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, The USA Tribune, the Lansing State Journal, The South Bend Tribune, on “Dr. Phil ” and ESPN, HBO and in two books.