Please be advised that this story concerns sexual assault and intimate partner violence. While not easy subjects to discuss, we believe it is vital to share.
SHAPE brought together the community to share Voices Of Courage with information about intimate partner violence and sexual assault at their annual event in Chelsea.
SHAPE – Voices Of Courage 2026
Recently, S.H.A.P.E. (Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Education) held its Voices Of Courage event at the WSEC Auditorium in Chelsea. SHAPE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to: “Shape teens’ minds about sexual harassment and assault through education and community events.”
What is so inspiring about this organization is that it is driven by young people. The founder is Kira Grifka, a Chelsea High School student. She noted that “When I entered high school, there was an incident at the school where I realized there was a culture of sexual harassment… that was just starting to grow and was becoming so normalized. I realized that that just wasn’t right, and we had to change something.” She took action, creating this non-profit to work toward changing the culture where violence and sexual harassment have been normalized for too long.
This free event featured information tables from:
- SafeHouse Center
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Washtenaw
- Chelsea Community Social Worker – Emilee Fetters
- Chelsea District Library.
To support the cause and provide a welcoming atmosphere, local businesses stepped up. Chelsea Lanes and their Let’s Go Bowling food truck offered free food and beverages. A delicious cake was provided by Costco. As if that wasn’t enough, SHAPE had free t-shirts available.
Safehouse Center
After a short welcome by Kira Grifka, Voices Of Courage featured a presentation by Christine and Regina from Safehouse Center in Ann Arbor, which provides support to survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, dating violence, and stalking. Their services include a 24-hour helpline, a rapid response team that works with local law enforcement and hospitals, temporary housing, legal advocacy, support groups, and individual crisis support services. All of their work is confidential in order to protect survivors and their families.
The Michigan VOICES4 hotline defines sexual assault as “when a person forces or pressures another person into unwanted sexual contact. This can be unwanted sexual penetration of the body or unwanted touching of private parts of the body. Some, but not all, perpetrators force unwanted sexual contact when a victim is asleep, unconscious, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or physically helpless. Michigan law refers to sexual assault as “Criminal Sexual Conduct.”
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology defines Intimate partner violence (IPV) as “a pattern of assaultive behavior and coercive behavior that may include physical injury, psychologic abuse, sexual assault, progressive isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and reproductive coercion.”
Besides sharing information on the services as well as definitions of sexual assault, harassment, and intimate partner violence, Safehouse Center shared some grim statistics:
- Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted.
- Every 9 minutes, that person is a child.
- 1 in every 6 women in our country has been either raped or been the survivor of an attempted rape.
- Children and young adults are at the highest risk. In nearly 97% of the sexual assault cases involving someone under 18, the survivor knew the person who assaulted them.
- As staggering as these numbers are, over 60% of the assaults are not reported.
A look around the room suggested that many found this presentation incredibly informative and shocking. It drove home the fact that there is still much to do to eliminate sexual assault and intimate partner violence. It also reaffirmed the critical need to listen to survivors without judgment or blame. As Christine mentioned, “We have to stop by believing that when somebody comes to you and says, ‘This is what happened to me,’ we say, ‘Of course it did, because you’re telling me that, and we’re not questioning you.'”
Finally, it is clear that organizations such as SHAPE and Safehouse Center are vital. Christine stated at the start of the presentation that “This is the future right here (pointing to the SHAPE team)… I am so impressed because I think that, when we talk about what we’re here to talk about tonight, this is what we need. We need our young people to be involved because our young people are definitely also being impacted by this.”
Panel Discussion
Following the Safehouse Center presentation, there was a panel discussion including Officer Thomas Gilbreath (Chelsea Police), Emilee Fetters (Chelsea Community Social Worker), and Christine and Regina (Safehouse Center). One question concerned how to end sexual assault and partner violence in the community.
The answer that resonated strongest from this discussion was frank and open conversations. The panel members noted that educational opportunities, such as Voices Of Courage, are one part of the puzzle. However, the primary way we address this issue is through conversations at home.
Attendee Steve Girbach noted, “A lot of stuff should be started at the dinner table, at your house. If you got young boys that you’re raising… You guys are gonna start noticing the ladies… don’t be that guy.”
The clear takeaway was that everyone is impacted by sexual harassment, assault, and intimate partner violence. Discussing why violence is never the answer and offering other positive ways to deal with strong emotions is essential to creating communities where everyone feels safe.
Resources
Safehouse Center
- Website: https://www.safehousecenter.org/
- Hotline: (734) 995-5444 – available 24/7
Michigan’s VOICES4
- Website (with live chat): https://www.michigan.gov/voices4
- Hotline: 855-864-2374 (855-VOICES4) – available 24/7
Chelsea Community Social Worker
Mental Health Crisis
- National Crisis Line: 988
- Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Access Line: 734-544-3050
For more information on SHAPE:
- Website: https://shapechelsea.org/
- Email: [email protected]
- Social media: Facebook and Instagram.
Pictures
More photos from Voices Of Courage, presented by SHAPE, are in our gallery.
Become a Supporter!
We warmly invite you to join our Life In Michigan community. Your support is not just appreciated—it is essential. It enables us to continue sharing the unique and captivating stories that showcase Michigan in all its vibrant glory. Whether you buy us a beer, treat yourself to a snuggly warm hoodie, or provide ongoing support through Substack, every contribution helps enhance our mission.
If our content resonates with you, we encourage you to become an ambassador for our stories. Share our work on your social media or forward a link to someone who would appreciate it as much as you do. Your support, in any form, breathes life into our cause and keeps the spirit of Life in Michigan thriving.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community.
Stay Connected
We’d love it if you liked our Facebook page. Better yet, subscribe to our Sunday Sip newsletter through Substack. You can also find us on Instagram.
