New digs, same mission for Wild Iris
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention month, and local non-profit Wild Iris will be hosting a series of events to honor victims and survivors of both. Wild Iris has locations in Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, and Bridgeport, and offers a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter, advocacy and accompaniment, crisis counseling and support, and other services to Inyo and Mono County residents.
According to Director of Programs Susi Bains, Wild Iris served 84 victims of sexual assault and 21 victims of child abuse in 2013.
Wild Iris served 62 victims of sexual assault in Inyo County alone, Bains said, 12 of whom were under the age of 18. Wild Iris also served 15 victims of child abuse in Inyo County.
Those numbers have gone up dramatically, from 36 victims of sexual assault in (10 of whom were under the age of 18), and 8 clients for child abuse in 2012.
Bains attributed the increase not to a growth in sexual assault and child abuse in Inyo, but to Wild Iris’s successful efforts to reach out to the community.
Bains said that school outreach work, such as the Youth Violence Prevention Program, which provides age-appropriate information on sexual assault, bullying, teen dating violence, and other issues, is directly responsible for an increase in young people seeking out Wild Iris’s services.
“I don’t think that [abuse] is happening more,” she said. “I think there are more people who understand there’s a place to go.”
One of the other services Wild Iris offers younger community members is the Eastern Sierra CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for children) program. “We match up children in the foster care system with an advocate, until there’s a successful reunification or adoption,” explained Wild Iris Executive Director Lisa Reel.
CASA volunteers go through 36 hours of training in order to help a child navigate the complexities of the Juvenile Court system. Volunteers spend time getting to know their child, and speak on behalf of the child in court.
Reel said there were 32 children in the dependency system in Inyo and Mono Counties in 2013, and 18 of those children were assigned to CASA volunteers. “We currently have 12 CASA advocates,” she said.
The program, which is just over a year old, is gaining momentum. “It’s growing, and we’re really pleased with that,” Reel said. “The courts have been very encouraging.”
Given the increase in demand for Wild Iris’s services, it’s only natural that the Bishop location expanded late last year. “We had a wonderful opportunity to move to Main Street in December,” said Reel. “We were running out of space, and this building doubled the size.”
The larger space at 150 Main St. offers three private, soundproof counseling rooms, as well as a training facility for CASA volunteers.
The new location also gives Wild Iris better visibility and accessibility, said Reel, in addition to anonymity, as the Main St. location shares a parking lot with several other businesses.
But the move offered another unexpected opportunity prior to opening, Reel said. While Wild Iris knew how it wanted to furnish the three new counseling rooms, “We also knew that financially it would be a stretch,” said Reel. So the organization approached Fendon’s Furniture to see if owner Randy Fendon would be willing to donate furniture for the three rooms.
“I went down [to the location], and I didn’t really know anything about Wild Iris,” recalled Randy Fendon. “After talking to them, I felt like it was something we really wanted to support.”
Fendon reached out to Steve Joseph and Scott Piercy at High Country Lumber, Greg Alexander at Whiskey Creek, and Jake Rasmuson at Coldwell Banker, to see if they would be willing to split the cost of furnishing the rooms. All three businesses came on board, and ultimately the group donated about $4,500 worth of furniture.
Upon seeing the final design for the rooms, said Reel, “I was in tears … I can’t express how nice it was.”
Fendon said these local businesses are just a few of the many that enjoy giving back to the community. “This was one [cause] that was particularly nice to support,” he said. “We really appreciate what they do for the community.”
For more information on Wild Iris, or events related to Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention month, visit the organization’s website.
