PARIS – Mary Newcomb, client services coordinator for REACH (Rape Education And Crisis Hotline), spoke at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Norway-Paris. Her talk on REACH’s effort to help those who have been sexually abused was eye-opening, and generated a lot of questions from club members.

Newcomb informed the club that REACH has been in existence for more than 21 years, and in that time has seen its staff grow from one to five full time employees, who are complimented by numerous volunteers.

While REACH does maintain a hot line 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it also does much more than that, she said. For example, REACH is often called in by the local hospitals to assist people who have been sexually assaulted, and REACH also provides educational talks in the schools and in the community. While the number of clients REACH helps has gone up astronomically over the past 21 years, it is Newcomb’s belief that the increase is due to the increase in reporting of sexual assault, and not an increase in commission of sexual assault. Even with the increase in reporting; however, Newcomb emphasized that sexual assault is still a crime that often goes unreported.

The Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday at different locations in the Norway/Paris area. The speaker for the Oct. 23 meeting will be Lt. Governor Ralph Johnson, as part the club’s membership drive. Anyone interested in attending a meeting, contact members Bob Bizier at 743-9303 or Sarah Glynn at 743-7753.