Donations pour in for rape victims

A couple of years ago when Janyce Boynton began to find a way to cope with the trauma of being raped more than 10 years earlier, she picked up a pair of scissors, some fabric and thread and a sewing needle.

This week, her journey of healing lay spread before me on a conference table at the office of Rape Response Services in Bangor. A colorful collage of fabric depicts her struggle. Bright splashes of color represent Janyce curled into a fetal position; large male hands frame needlepointed words of painful remembrance as well as words of hope and well being.

The edges of the quilt remain unfinished, as is her journey.

Janyce, 44, has found some peace in her handiwork and with her work as a volunteer at Rape Response Services, a small nonprofit agency that provides support for victims of sexual violence in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

When it came time to start seeking donations to be auctioned off at the agency’s annual fundraiser, Janyce turned to other craftspeople and artists who sell their items on Etsy.com, “a place to sell all things handmade.”

Janyce simply posted a little notice on the Web site’s public forum inviting anyone interested in donating items to the Rape Response Services fundraiser scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer.

Since then, workers and volunteers have been receiving a variety of interesting handmade crafts in the mail each day as donations pour in from across the country, Canada and even from a woman in Japan.

Nearly 50 items from the Etsy Web site have been donated so far, thrilling and surprising Kate Roberts, the agency’s relatively new executive director.

“Here we are this little non-profit serving two counties in Maine and people from literally around the world have responded with an unbelievable willingness to help us out. I think it highlights what we already knew, and that is that rape knows no boundaries,” said Roberts this week.

Many of the donations were accompanied by notes or e-mails suggesting that the donor was either a victim of sexual assault herself or was providing the item in support of someone they cared for who was.

“One woman thanked us for what we do, saying that when she herself was raped there was no such support where she lived,” recalled Janyce. “I think for several of them it may have been the first time they ever revealed to anyone what happened to them. The anonymity of the Internet maybe made that easier for them. But perhaps it will provide the opening they need to go in search of their own help.”

The Rape Response Services agency and the people it serves will certainly benefit from the generosity of those on-line artists. Some of the artists themselves may well benefit, by finding a few new loyal customers in eastern Maine. But perhaps the greatest gift came from Janyce, who reached out for some help but may have found instead that she was doing the helping.

By sharing their own secret for the first time, maybe they can find a path that will lead them to the beginning of their own journey.

Tickets to Wednesday’s auction can be purchased at the door or by calling 941-2980. As always, the toll-free hotline for Rape Response Services is (800) 310-0000.

Renee Ordway can be reached at reneeordway@bangordailynews.net