More than 100 community leaders took to the stage to sing out against sexual violence for the 12th annual Cleveland Rape Crisis Sing Out. At the same, more than 600 supporters attended the event Thursday, May 27, at the Cleveland Playhouse, 8500 Euclid Ave. in Drury Theatre.
The theme for this event was “Here Comes the Sun.”
This year’s honorees were Richard W. Pogue, Senior Advisor for Jones Day and Joanna Connors, reporter for The Plain Dealer. Co-chairs included Chuck Fowler, president and CEO of Fairmount Minerals; David Hooker, managing partner for Thompson Hine LLP; and Geri Presti, Senior Vice President for Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
“Sing Out!” for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) is a community event that raises awareness about sexual violence as well as financial support for the only local agency that provides comprehensive services to sexual assault survivors and those who support them.The all-star “Sing Out!” Chorale is comprised of community, civic and business leaders who join voices to sing out against rape and sexual violence. The result is an unparalleled, inspiring musical evening that both empowers and educates the audience, while raising funds to support the proactive and reactive services of CRCC.
Songs for the evening included “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” “Rain Down,” “Through the Rain,” and the closing number “Here Comes the Sun” with a splash of “Let the Sun Shine In.”
TV 5’s news anchor Leon Bibb read a poem which had a very positive effect on the people in the audience. One of the honoree’s told her account of going to Case Western Reserve University for a story and ended up being raped. Confronting her past from 20 years ago when the rape accrued, she found learned her attacker has since died in prison but she is now real good friends with his sister.
Some of the 100 voice chorale included Darnell Brown, Eugenia Cash, Belinda S. Miles, Lisa Oliver, Stanley Miller, Denise San Antonio Zeman, Leon Bibb, Cheryl Davis, and the honorable Georgine Welo. Exclusive sponsorship packages were available for corporations and individuals offering many benefits including presenting sponsor naming rights and opportunities throughout the event for recognition.
The event raised over $320,000 through everyone’s generous support. “We are so happy about how this music event raised the awareness in the community,” said Cleveland Rape Crisis CEO/President Megan O’Bryan.
The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is dedicated to serving survivors of sexual violence and those who support them with free comprehensive healing and advocacy services and to creating social change in the community through education, training, and activism. “This year’s event was sold out, and we felt it was parallel to what our clients may experience, said O’Bryan.
The logo for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is a nightingale. The nightingale was chosen because it is symbolic of our need to talk about rape, both as a healing process after it has happened and as an educational process to decrease its frequency.
The story comes from a Greek myth about Procne and Philomena. Procne’s husband, Tereus, is sent to bring his sister-in-law, Philomena, to visit. The two sisters had been separated for many years. On the journey back, Tereus rapes Philomena and cuts out her tongue so she cannot tell anyone what happened.
Left alone to suffer in silence, Philomena weaves tapestry which tells the story of her experience. When she dies she is turned into a nightingale so that all victims and survivors of sexual assault have a voice. It is a place where they can tell their stories and feel safe and strong.
CRCC is dedicated to serving survivors of sexual assault and those who support them with superior direct services and advocacy; education and training; and activism. All of these services are provided confidentially and completely free of charge to more than 15,000 people every year. CRCC is the only organization in Cuyahoga County dedicated to serving survivors of sexual violence.
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