Press release from Our VOICE:
In an effort to combat drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), Our VOICE and the Asheville Brewers Alliance (ABA) are joining forces for the 3rd annual Pints for Our VOICE fundraiser, happening throughout all of April, which is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Select ABA breweries will raise funds to support Our VOICE’s 24/7 rape crisis services throughout the month of April by pouring “Pints for Our VOICE,” in which $1 per pint of special craft brews directly benefits the agency. Participating 2018 members and selected beers include:
Burial Beer Co. (Billows Hoppy Kolsch)
Highland Brewing Co. (AVL IPA)
Pisgah Brewing Co. (Schwarzbier)
Other breweries wishing to participate in the campaign may contact Our VOICE.
These three local breweries will not only raise funds to support survivors of rape, but they will also take a stand against sexual assault by participating in The BAR Outreach Project, a curriculum developed by Our VOICE that educates bar owners and staff about DFSA while addressing bystander intervention strategies that can help protect patrons and employees alike.
Alcohol is often used as the drug of choice to incapacitate victims, who are subsequently unable to give active consent to sexual activity. This makes bars and breweries an important setting for opening community dialogue around alcohol’s involvement sexual violence.
“With the help of leaders in our brewing community, we are able to work together to prevent drug facilitated sexual violence in our community,” says Angélica Reza Wind, the Executive Director of Our VOICE. “Ending sexual violence is a community effort and the more people we have who are trained in bystander intervention the better. Our partners at the ABA stand in solidarity with our mission to create a community free of sexual violence, ensuring that there are people on the ground willing and able to step in and prevent an assault from happening.”
Burial co-owner Jessica Reiser has participated in Pints for Our VOICE each of its three years. “Raising awareness around abuse to better help those who have experienced it, as well as prevent it from occurring, should be a top priority,” Reiser says. “As I do my personal best to raise two kids, I realize that it takes being surrounded by a supportive community, in addition to a safe and structured home, to foster mindful and successful adults. I see Our VOICE supporting the victims of today but also being vital in building a strong and safe community of people for years to come.”
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