Taking place this year on Saturday, April 20 at Avalon Park, Ride to Reach is our signature bicycling awareness event for victims of crime and sexual assault. Our preparations for the big day are in full swing, and we wanted to let you know what you can do to become involved!

First, we hope you'll consider participating in either the 60-mile or the 17-mile ride. Registration is open for both routes, and you can see the maps on our website.  

Know a business that might want to sponsor the event? We have plenty of advertising benefits for interested organizations, so direct your friends to our sponsorship page or check it out yourself.

Perhaps you want to set-up a tabling or vendor booth that day? We'll have plenty of entertainment going on for non-cyclists at the Avalon Park Amphitheater, and we'd love for you to be a part of it.

If you have some generous friends who can't make it on the 20th but want to support this cause, let them know about our personal fundraising initiative.

Finally, we'll be announcing volunteer opportunities when they're finalized, but nothing would make us happier than to see YOU at Ride to Reach on April 20. You don't have to be a bicycling enthusiast to enjoy all of the outdoor activities and family fun we'll be hosting! So mark your calendar and SAVE THE DATE! 

Teen Dating Violence (DV) Prevention and Awareness Month is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships and promote programs that prevent it during the month of February.

The repercussions of teen dating violence are impossible to ignore - they hurt not just the young people victimized but also their families, friends, schools and communities. Throughout February, organizations and individuals nationwide are coming together to highlight the need to educate young people about dating violence, teach healthy relationship skills and prevent the devastating cycle of abuse. (teendvmonth.org)

Everyone deserves to be in a safe and healthy relationship. Take this healthy relationship quiz by loveisrespect.org to find out if your relationship is healthy. Answer yes or no to the following questions and use the scoring guide at the bottom to calculate your results. 

1. Is very supportive of things that I do.
2. Encourages me to try new things.
3. Likes to listen when I have something on my mind.
4. Understands that I have my own life too.
5. Is not liked very well by my friends.
6. Says I'm too involved in different activities.
7. Texts me or calls me all the time.
8. Thinks I spend too much time trying to look nice.
9. Gets extremely jealous or possessive.
10. Accuses me of flirting or cheating.
11. Constantly checks up on me or makes me check in.
12. Controls what I wear or how I look.
13. Tries to control what I do and who I see.
14. Tries to keep me from seeing or talking to my family and friends.
15. Has big mood swings, getting angry and yelling at me one minute but being sweet and apologetic the next.
16. Makes me feel nervous or like I'm "walking on eggshells."
17. Puts me down, calls me names or criticizes me.
18. Makes me feel like I can't do anything right or blames me for problems.
19. Makes me feel like no one else would want me.
20. Threatens to hurt me, my friends or family.
21. Threatens to hurt him or herself because of me.
22. Threatens to destroy my things.
23. Grabs, pushes, shoves, chokes, punches, slaps, holds me down, throws things or hurts me in some way.
24. Breaks or throws things to intimidate me.
25. Yells, screams or humiliates me in front of other people.
26. Pressures or forces me into having sex or going farther than I want to.

Give yourself one point for every no you answered to numbers one through four, one point for every yes response to numbers five through eight and five points for every yes to numbers nine and above.

Now that you're finished and have your score, the next step is to find out what it means. Simply take your total score and see which of the categories below apply to you.

You got a score of zero? Don't worry -- it's a good thing! It sounds like your relationship is on a pretty healthy track. Maintaining healthy relationships takes some work -- keep it up! Remember that while you may have a healthy relationship, it's possible that a friend of yours does not. If you know someone who is in an abusive relationship, find out how you can help them. 

If you scored one or two points, you might be noticing a couple of things in your relationship that are unhealthy, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are warning signs. It's still a good idea to keep an eye out and make sure there isn't an unhealthy pattern developing.

The best thing to do is to talk to your partner and let them know what you like and don't like. Encourage them to do the same. Remember, communication is always important when building a healthy relationship. It's also good to be informed so you can recognize the different types of abuse. 

If you scored three or four points, it sounds like you may be seeing some warning signs of an abusive relationship. Don't ignore these red flags. Something that starts small can grow much worse over time. No relationship is perfect -- it takes work! But in a healthy relationship you won't find abusive behaviors. 

If you think your relationship may not be as healthy as you deserve, chat with a trained peer advocate to get more information.

If you scored five or points, you are definitely seeing warning signs and may be in an abusive relationship. Remember the most important thing is your safety -- consider making a safety plan right now.

Monthly Informational Briefings

Last Wednesday of Every Month

Next Briefing

Wednesday - February 27, 2013

Noon - 1PM at the Victim Service Center  

Each month the Victim Service Center will be offering Informational Briefings to educate the community on our services, cultivate interest in our agency, and offer individual involvement with our mission through volunteerism, fundraising, or assisting us in spreading the word that we are here to help those impacted by crimes and sexual assaults.

By attending our Informational Briefing, you will learn about our history, our mission, services, our priorities, and our goals.

Where & When

2111 E Michigan St, Suite 210

Orlando, Florida 32806

February 27, 2013

Noon - 1PM

Space is limited; please let us know if you will be attending.

RSVP - Office: (407) 254-9415 or e-mail devon.hutchins@ocfl.net.