Thank you for your interest in being part of Awake’s Encourager Ministry! This is a simple way for members of the Awake community to show our support directly to those who have experienced sexual abuse by a Catholic leader. 

This would take two main forms, initially:

1. Posting Comments Online (Monthly Opportunity): When new survivor stories are posted on the Awake blog, we would like there to be some supportive messages in the comments that these survivors can see quickly. As you can imagine, sharing their story in this way is a very big step for some people, and I know some folks go looking at the blog and social media pages frequently, just to see if anyone has commented. 
2. Sending Cards (Occasional Opportunity): From time to time, we do a special care package of written cards for a survivor who is going through a particularly difficult time. In the past we have called this effort “Let’s Be Church.” Typically, people sign up to participate and then send these cards to Milwaukee, where we pack them up and send them to the survivor.

The Awake blog often features people who are sharing their story publicly for the first time, and we want to make sure they feel surrounded by love and support as they take this big step. Could you be part of this effort?

By signing up, you are simply agreeing to receive emails from our executive director, Sara Larson, and Tracy, the volunteer who will be coordinating this ministry. You can always choose whether or not to participate in any given month.