Who: The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay was selected by the Suncoast Credit Union to receive $25,000 to support the cost of sexual assault forensic exams.
Why this is important: Suncoast Credit Union Foundation is covering the costs for over 35 sexual assault forensic exams for individuals ages 13 to 17.
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 17, 2023 – The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has been chosen as one of the organizations to receive funding from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. The foundation prioritizes three primary areas of need: education, health and emotional well-being of children in our communities. Funding received from the credit union will support the costs associated with forensic exams for individuals ages 13 to 17 who receive services from the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
Each forensic exam costs the Crisis Center about $1,700 in total. Some government funding is received, but there is still a deficit for each exam provided. Suncoast’s donation will cover this funding deficit for over 35 exams. Last year, the Crisis Center provided sexual assault exams to 67 clients who were between the ages of 13 and 17. This service is available 24/7 with no fee for clients for anyone within Hillsborough County who seeks support and advocacy following a sexual assault.
“Our purpose is to make a positive impact on the people living in the communities we serve, and we are honored to help advance the important work of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay,” said Kourtney Berry, Executive Director, Suncoast Credit Union Foundation.
“Suncoast Credit Union has been a valued Crisis Center of Tampa Bay partner for several years. We are honored to be one of the organizations they have chosen to support. This investment will help us to ensure no one has to face crisis alone, especially while navigating the trauma that is a sexual assault,” said Clara Reynolds, President & CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
The Crisis Center has previously received grant funding from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation to support Sexual Assault Services and COVID-19 relief.
About Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
The mission of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone. The organization is the community’s gateway to help, hope, and healing, and is Tampa Bay’s elite provider of crisis and trauma services. The nonprofit agency offers a range of evidence based programs designed to meet community needs:
• Corbett Trauma Center (trauma counseling and sexual assault survivor services)
• Gateway Contact Center (988 & 211: suicide prevention, crisis counseling, and information and referral services)
• TransCare (911 emergency life support ambulance services, behavioral health transports, basic and advanced life support interfacility transportation)
For more information regarding the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, please visit www.crisiscenter.com.
About Suncoast Credit Union
Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 8th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 11th largest in the United States based on its $17.1 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 77 full-service branches and serves more than one million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $40 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoastcreditunion.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
###