I recently shared about a non-profit out of Milwaukee that supports and advocates for survivors of clerical abuse: Awake Milwaukee.
Earlier this week they announced that they have a new name and new mission, and I wanted to share that with you. From their announcement:
“When our organization began, back in 2019, we called ourselves Awake Milwaukee and focused our work on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. But our reach has grown over time, as more and more people from across the country have found us and reached out to connect. We are now a big, beautiful, diverse community of people from all over the United States and beyond, and we decided it was time for our name to reflect our national reach.
This week, our organization is officially dropping Milwaukee from our name, to simply be called Awake.
Along with this name change, we have a new look, a new logo, and a new website. For many people, the website is their first contact with Awake, so we worked hard to make it warm, welcoming, informative, and easy to navigate.
[…]
Even though our name has changed, Awake remains committed to the same important work, offering education, advocacy, prayer, and survivor support to people across the United States and beyond, with a mission focused on awakening, transformation, and healing.
‘As Awake embraces our identity as a national organization,’ Awake Executive Director Sara Larson explains, ‘we will continue to bring a compassionate, survivor-centered voice to the public conversation about abuse in the Catholic Church, while also providing support and accompaniment to those who have been wounded by this abuse.’”
Among other things, Awake provides support groups and retreats for survivors. They also host online events where survivors can share their stories and experts can educate about the reality of abuse in the Church.
I’ve personally grown and benefitted from the work they’ve done. I would encourage you to check out their new website.
https://www.awakecommunity.org/
Also, I will be having a conversation with Sara Larson, their Executive Director, in the upcoming season of the podcast. So keep an eye out for that as well.