PARIS – The Rape Education and Crisis Hotline is in need of additional adult volunteers to help cover shifts answering the 24-hour crisis hotline. Volunteer advocates provide support to victims, survivors and their loved ones as they work through their immediate needs and the after-effects of sexual assault and sexual abuse.

The hotline works with a pager system, allowing advocates to work from home. Each advocate is asked to be on call for four 12-hour shifts a month and attend a monthly advocate meeting.

The staff is planning a summer training session, which will consists of 12 three-hour classes from 9 a.m. to noon in the South Paris office. The schedule will be either two days a week for six weeks or three days a week for four weeks, to be determined by the majority of the class.

The training will consist of lectures, interactive discussions, videos, guest speakers, role-playing and reading assignments. Subjects will include rape, trauma, incest and child sexual abuse, mental health issues, medical needs of victims, community resources/ social attitudes and myths and communication and listening skills. Those who complete the training may be eligible to become a Hotline volunteer advocate.

Those interested can call the REACH office and ask to speak to Mary or leave a message at Box 1, 1-800-871-7741. A minimum of four people registered by Wednesday, June 30, is needed for the class to run.