Community Support Encouraged for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Monday, March 29, 2026 — Members of the Sequoyah County Coordinated Community Response/Sexual Assault Response Team (CCR/SART) will attend the Sequoyah County Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, March 30, to request that April be declared Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Sequoyah County.

The meeting will take place at the Sequoyah County Courthouse, and community members are invited to attend the 10 a.m. meeting to show support for victims and survivors of sexual violence.

April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Sequoyah County CCR/SART is working to increase education, promote awareness, and encourage community conversations about sexual violence. Local organizers say public support plays an important role in helping break the stigma that often surrounds these issues and in supporting survivors.

As part of the month-long effort, CCR/SART will also host a series of free online educational events aimed at helping the community better understand sexual violence, rape culture, victim blaming, and how to support survivors.

The first event, “Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and Victim Blaming,” will be held on April 16 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. The session will provide an open discussion about the impact of rape culture, how victim blaming affects survivors, and ways communities can work together to support those impacted by sexual violence.

The presentation will be led by Sarah Ridinger, Victim Service Specialist for the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office. Ridinger works as a law enforcement-based advocate, assisting victims and survivors as they navigate the investigative and court processes. Her work includes providing court advocacy in both criminal and civil cases, with a focus on protective order proceedings.

Ridinger has served victims in Sequoyah County for more than a decade in a variety of roles, including forensic interviewer, family advocate, and coordinator for the Sequoyah and Adair County Multidisciplinary Teams. She has also served as a reserve deputy for both Sequoyah and Adair County Sheriff’s Offices and as a full-time deputy before becoming the county’s first victim services specialist in 2017. Since 2019, she has also served as co-coordinator of the Sequoyah County CCR/SART.

The next online session, “Care, Choice & Evidence: Understanding the S.A.N.E. Exam,” will be held on April 21 at 6 p.m. This educational Zoom event will provide an overview of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE) process, including what happens during an exam, the rights and choices available to survivors, and how evidence collection supports both healing and justice.

The April 21 presentation will be led by Michelle Rye, director of sexual assault services and the SANE program at Help-In-Crisis. Rye oversees sexual assault response services in Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah, and Wagoner counties and works closely with survivors, law enforcement, medical providers, and community partners to ensure a trauma-informed, victim-centered response to sexual violence.

Through these events and the proclamation request, CCR/SART members hope to encourage education, reduce stigma, and strengthen community support for survivors.

To register for the free online event “Sexual Violence, Rape Culture, and Victim Blaming,” visit https://tinyurl.com/ywwn48dd.

To register for the free online event “Care, Choice & Evidence: Understanding the S.A.N.E. Exam,” visit https://tinyurl.com/2u6ypujs.

Lindsie Dyer, Staff Writer

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