Update: Due to impending weather, this open house has been rescheduled to Thursday, October 3.
The Teal House, or the Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center, Inc. (SRSAC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, located at 209 South College Street, Statesboro, Georgia will be hosting an open house event on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
The event, which is free to the public, will be held from 6-9pm, and will allow the staff of The Teal House to showcase the various services that are available to the public. Refreshments will be served during the event. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided by Ellis Meats.
The event will also give staff the opportunity to show off the newly rebuilt porch that was done as a service project as part of the Bulloch County 2024 Cohort of the Management Development Program from the UGA Carl Vinson Institute for Government.
The Teal House serves the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Bulloch, Jenkins, Screven, and Effingham Counties. While the center specializes in assisting victims of sexual violence of all ages, the staff also has forensic interviewers on call to talk with children from ages 3-17 who have been the victim or witness of any violent crime at the request of law enforcement of DFCS.
The non-profit also has a crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support and provide information to sexual assault victims and their family and friends.
Additional services provided to the community by The Teal House include medical exams for victims of sexual assault, advocacy, support groups, counseling services, community outreach, and education.
Teal House Executive Director Lily Gray said of the Open House, “We would love to give the opportunity to the public to come in and check out what we do. Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. We want the members of our community to know that we are here for them if they become part of that statistic. So please join us for food, tours, a ribbon cutting, and comradery ”.
The Teal House receives grants from various organizations, but its main source of funding is through donations. The cost of a rape kit is $6 and the cost of a gown for a sexual assault victim is $10. These small donation amounts can make a huge impact in the lives of survivors of sexual assault and violence. As of release date, The Teal House has performed 32 medical exams and 113 forensic interviews this year and in the last 3 years, they have done 188 adult medical exams, 55 pediatric medical exams, and 463 forensic interviews.
To further raise money, The Teal House is partnering with locally owned Helpful Tees to host a campaign to raise money for the organization as well as increased awareness of what The Teal House does.
The tees will be available online starting on Thursday, September 12, 2024, and will be available through Saturday, September 28, 2024. Those interested in supporting this vital community resource by purchasing a shirt can visit www.https://helpfultees.com/collections/all to purchase their choice of shirts: tees for $20; long sleeve tees for $25; sweatshirts for $30.
About The Teal House
The Teal House is located in Statesboro, Georgia. To reach out to their crisis line, call 866-489-2255. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault and would like to talk with someone about your options with law enforcement and counseling services, please call 912-489-6060 or visit www.thetealhouse.org.