Our offices will be closed for the holiday starting on Tuesday, December 24th and will re-open on Thursday, January 2nd at 9 a.m. If you are in crisis, please call our 24-Hour Rape Crisis Hotline at 904-721-7273.
Each year in April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAM) and we host events to raise awareness about sexual violence. Our efforts enhance public understanding of sexual violence, amplifying the voices of survivors, and empowering our community to work together to promote the safety and well-being of others. It’s all about raising awareness, debunking harmful myths, and supporting survivors.
It can happen to anyone.
As the certified rape crises center for Duval, Nassau, and Baker counties, we need your help to keep our services free of charge for all survivors. Your donations towards our SAAM events go directly to our rape recovery efforts. Thank you to all who supported our SAAM events this year!
The Women’s Center of Jacksonville proudly stood with leaders in Duval, Nassau, and Baker counties to affirm our shared commitment to ending sexual violence. Together, we raised public awareness, educated communities on prevention strategies, and uplifted the individuals and organizations on the frontlines supporting survivors and their families. Each proclamation served as a powerful declaration of unity—joining advocates across the country in taking action to create meaningful change.
Check out the Proclamation photos HERE!
What an incredible day it was! Community teams came together at Rondette Park to compete, connect, and raise awareness, while friends and supporters cheered from the sidelines. Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $6,000 to support survivors! Congratulations to the Stonewallers who took home the trophy! Thank you to everyone who played, cheered, and contributed. Your support helps us move closer to a world free from sexual violence
Check out the Kickball photos HERE!
HUGE congratulations to the champions of our 1st Annual SAAM Dodgeball Tournament! The Fernandina Beach Fire Department took home the trophy after an exciting morning of teamwork, laughter, and fierce competition. The Stonewallers came in a close second—an amazing effort all around! We’re also incredibly proud to share that WCJ was named Fan Favorite, thanks to your generous donation votes. Thank you to everyone who played, donated, and showed up to cheer us on. Together, we’re standing with survivors and building a stronger, more compassionate community.
Check out our Dodgeball photos HERE!
On Wednesday, April 23rd, Senator Lauren Book brought her powerful statewide “Lauren’s Walk” to Northeast Florida, continuing her mission to raise awareness for the prevention of child sexual abuse. The WCJ was proud to join her, walking side by side with community members. The walk started at the Duval County Courthouse, making a meaningful stop at the Publix in San Marco, offering an optional final stretch to thw WCJ office on Colcord Avenue.
To make the journey more accessible, participants received an Uber code for a safe and easy return to the starting point. Before the walk began, attendees took part in bracelet-making—a thoughtful and creative way to show solidarity with survivors.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who came out to walk, support, and stand with us in this important movement. Together, we are raising voices, building awareness, and creating a stronger, safer community for all.
Check out the Lauren’s Walk photos HER!
On the evening of April 25th, the WCJ hosted “Surviving to Thriving”, a powerful event held in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This free event provides survivors with a creative platform to share their healing journeys through art, spoken word, and music. Held at Babs’Lab, the evening featured moving performances, beautiful artwork, and opportunities for connection. Attendees enjoyed food from a local food truck, a cash bar, and time to socialize and build community. Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating the voices and resilience of survivors.
Check out the Surviving to Thriving 2025 photos HERE!
Throughout the month, the WCJ hosted a Book Spotlight to raise awareness about sexual violence through the voices of survivors, and to demonstrate the power of healing through storytelling. This year’s featured book was Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope by Amanda Nguyen, one of TIME Magazine and Oprah Daily’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025. In this moving memoir, Nguyen shared her personal journey of healing and her path to justice through activism—an effort that led to the creation of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act.
We are proud to announce that Amanda will be our guest speaker on August 26, 2025, at our annual event Women. Words, & Wisdom. Click HERE to learn more about this inspiring evening!
We would like to thank the six local bookstores that partnered with us to highlight this amazing book, and to celebrate survivor stories throughout the month. Community members were encouraged to purchase the book locally or donate in support of our mission. All proceeds benefited sexual assault survivors served by WCJ.
Participating Bookstores:
Check out our Cook Spotlight Photos HERE!
“Paint the Town Teal” returned to Baker County in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Local businesses showed their solidarity with survivors by decorating their windows and displaying teal bows—the color representing awareness and prevention of sexual violence. Community participation helped raise visibility and sparked important conversations about healing, support, and prevention.
Thank you to all participating businesses that helped us raise awareness!
Baker Business Center, Baker County Community Development Department, Baker County Detention Center, Baker County Sheriff’s Office, Baker Courthouse, Baker Health Department, Baker Pharmacy, Baker Prevention, Baker Rural Health Clinic, Bennet’s Feed Shop, Black Crow Inks, Blackburn-Curry Funeral Home, Calendars Pizza (Terri’s Italian Kitchen and Bar), Cypress Mower Services, Ed Fraser, Emily Taber Library, First Coast Women’s Center, Goetze Physical Therapy, Harvest Ministries Church, Hope Center, Ink Monkey Tattoo, Keller Education Center, Keller Family Services, Klear Pools, Laredo’s Mexican Restaurant, Lily’s Nails, Logos by Frankie, Rack Up Thrift Store, Royalty Gas and Smoke, Shear Charm, Sherwin Williams, The Arc, The Bakery Barn, The Beauty Parlor, The Nail Bakery, The Ninth Roasters, The Press, The Weathered Wheel, and the Women’s Club.
Check out the photos from Paint the Town Teal HERE!
Photo Credit: Courtney Lynch, Impact Photography
(c)2024 The Women's Center of Jacksonville | 5644 Colcord Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32211
| 904.722.3000 | Email Us
Images are Stock Photos; Not Actual Clients
WCJ DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, AGE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY/DISABILITY STATUS, SEX/GENDER, PREGNANCY, MILITARY STATUS/STATUS AS A VETERAN, GENETIC INFORMATION, CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRATION STATUS, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY, LANGUAGE SPOKEN, OR OTHER LEGALLY PROTECTED STATUS. WCJ FACILITIES ARE ACCESSIBLE, AND WE WILL PROVIDE ACCOMMODATIONS, INCLUDING FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS AND ALTERNATIVE FORMATS OF PRINTED MATERIALS, UPON REQUEST FOR PERSONS WHO ARE DEAF, HARD OF HEARING, OR ARE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES, OR FOR PERSONS WHO ARE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT. TO ENSURE THAT YOU RECEIVE THE NECESSARY ACCOMMODATIONS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR REQUEST NO LATER THAN 7 DAYS PRIOR TO THE EVENT BY EMAIL SO THAT THEY CAN BE AVAILABLE TO YOU FROM THE START OF THE EVENT.