Today we’d like to introduce you to Noelle Myers.
Noelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Project Dignity’s mission is to restore dignity to victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, domestic violence, and violent crime as soon as possible.
I am a survivor of sexual violence, and one day at a support group, I was talking to a friend. I found out she had spent over fifteen hours at the ER, waiting for a SANE nurse (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) to do a forensic exam, and waiting for police. She had to give up clothes, shoes, and even her hair tie as evidence for the police. By the end of the exam, she felt less than human, and even more so when she was not offered any way to clean herself up (she had minor injuries, and had been held for over 48 hours by her attacker) and the only replacement garments offered were hospital scrubs and paper socks.
That was not okay. So Project Dignity was born. Project Dignity started in 2018 with Dignity Bags – basic toiletries and some clothing offered at the ER. Our programs have expanded to include – better Dignity Bags – which now include toiletries, comfort care items, and specialized bags for gender-neutral, women, men, children, and teens. Project Dignity also provides sheets, for victims who have been assaulted in their homes, and have to give up their bedding as evidence. Those are provided through multiple agencies – Including our CVIC, local hospital, Local Law Enforcement, etc.
Local Law Enforcement has also partnered with us to provide a communication tool, The Blue Card – This card enables anyone who has trouble communicating with uniformed officers – autistic persons, persons with PTSD, etc. to alert the officers to their difficulties. And we are beginning to assist survivors in returning their voices, by providing some coverage of therapy costs when possible, etc.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not a smooth road. As with anything, there has been a learning curve, and some opposition as well.
The hospital was on board immediately, as was our local Community Violence Intervention Center. Law enforcement, however, has taken some convincing. It took us almost two years to get the final go-ahead on the Blue Cards for Grand Forks, and no other law enforcement agency has been willing to even acknowledge the need for the cards. Some vehemently oppose them.
You might be surprised at how much pushback we get from community members as well – “There’s not a need for that.” “Our community doesn’t have a problem with human trafficking.” “It doesn’t happen here” Those types of things. Myself and a few of my volunteers have faced physical violence from people who are opposed to what we do as well.
Project Dignity struggles to raise funds often, and I believe that stems from the intrinsic lack of a “happy ending” to what we do. There is no “happily ever after” for survivors of sexual violence – it is a lifetime of struggle. They CAN thrive and be happy, but sexual violence leaves a mark, and often takes years to overcome. Resilience – is, frankly – exhausting. (and expensive) Clothing and Toiletries are donated in abundance, funds less so.
One of our biggest struggles is fighting stigma and victim shaming. It does not matter what a person is wearing, drinking, or doing. No one deserves to be assaulted or trafficked.
The amount of sexual violence and human trafficking in our area is staggering. A combination of location, lack of population (and therefore lack of police presence in some areas), and the presence of military bases and universities, all combine to statistically raise our numbers (and raise them as well) People are unaware of this and often prefer to remain blissfully ignorant of the things happening close to home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Outside of Project Dignity – I am an author and an artist, which helps me in the self-care arena. Painting helps with the processing of the things I see, as does writing. The creativity brings light into my life in many ways. My board members run the gamut from working in the financial sector to business owners, to lawyers.
One thing I would like people to know is that sexual violence cuts across all lines of gender, faith, race, sexual orientation, marital status, and age. – it is a global problem. Project Dignity cannot solve the world’s issues, but we can help those in our community and the surrounding community.
Chances are you know someone who has been impacted by sexual violence. Children as young as 3 weeks have been trafficked in our area – in the last year. The oldest client I have seen was in her nineties.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
There are always people willing and wanting to help. I often see the dark side of (or lack of) humanity in the work I do, but there is so much good out there too. The majority of people want to help, they just need someone to tell them how.
It is usually a lack of knowledge or even a lack of self-confidence in themselves that keeps people from helping.
Anyone – no matter your age, physical capabilities (I am disabled myself), or education – anyone can make a difference. You don’t need to be anything other than yourself to impact others for good. You are enough.
Pricing:
- Average Cost of a Dignity Bag $50 (survivors receive everything free of charge – this is our cost for everything below as well)
- The average cost of a set of sheets is $60
- Set of clothing for Survivor $75-100
- Cost of Blue Card (none to survivor) $5
- The average cost for therapy is $250 per session – the average survivor needs at least 12 sessions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.projectdignitynd.org
- Instagram: @projectdignitynd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectdignitynd
