April 1 is not only dedicated to playing personal jokes on friends and families, but more importantly it marks the beginning of sexual assault awareness month.
Criminology professor Kathryn Branch is raising awareness by encouraging her students to participate in a one-of-a-kind fundraiser that raises money for victims of sexual assault called Operation Freefall. On April 26, people all over the country will take what is called the Two Mile High Stand Against Sexual Assault and skydive from 10,560 feet in the air.
Branch’s research is focused on the impact of sexual violence on the campus community. “I am involved in many organizations and activities that highlight sexual assault (e.g., One Student, the Sexual Violence Task Force of Tampa Bay, Take Back the Night),” Branch said. “This is just one of many opportunities I have announced to students.”
Branch has mentioned this opportunity in all four criminology classes she is teaching this semester, and a number of students have expressed interest in participating. They are actively trying to raise the money.
“I have for lack of better words ‘harassed’ people on my Facebook,” said Enrique Hernandez, a senior criminology major. He heard about the fundraiser in her Race, Class Gender and Crime class and thinks this cause is of great importance.
“The equality of everyone is an important aspect to me,” Hernandez said. “So anyone thinking it’s okay to act upon someone they see as vulnerable because of these ‘labels’ of prominence is pretty disgusting and needs to be stopped.”
This will be his first time skydiving, and he seemed more excited than nervous. “I am an adrenaline junky,” Hernandez said. “Ever since getting shot at and undergoing other extra eventful activities in Afghanistan, I have been frenzy hunting when it comes to exciting activities. Like any other human being I assume I will experience nervousness (especially at the door), but I am ready to face fear again in the face and do this for all victims who live with fear day to day.”
Operation Freefall was created back in 2001 when Kellie Greene, the founder of the organization Speaking Out About Rape (SOAR), was looking for a way to face the fifth anniversary of her attack. In 2001, she skydived for the first time and turned a day of horror into a day of fun and celebration. From then on, this fundraiser has been held every year on the last Saturday of April. In the past 13 years, it has raised over $1 million for this cause, according to operationfreefall.com.
Many of the victims of sexual assault are female and suffer from a lack of trust in males. Operation Freefall forces them to face their fears head on by putting their lives in the hands of a male while also being physically close to one during the jump. “Facing these fears can be transformational,” Branch said. “The look on an individual’s faces when they finish the jump is priceless.”
The money raised goes to organizations like SOAR and other anti-sexual violence organizations to help with local support for survivors in the community, creating and maintaining recovery programs to help victims in the healing process and to educate others about the personal impact of sexual assault.
Branch made this daring jump with students in 2011 and 2012. However, she will not be able to jump this year because of medical reasons, but she will be there to support her students and others that will be making the jump. “It is a powerful event to be a part of and the support is felt by survivors,” Branch said. “It is critical that survivors understand that the community will not tolerate sexual violence.”