by Keara Dwyer
November 15, 2024

RESTORE is a local sexual assault organization that serves Monroe County as well as the GLOW counties. They are known as the local rape crisis center. RESTORE serves as a point of contact for anyone who has experienced sexual assault including stalking, harassment, or anything like that. RESTORE is available on all college campuses within the known counties and they help people of all ages.

The organization has many counselors and advocates, one of them being Zoe Paris. Paris is the college advocate for our school, Genesee Community College. Paris, when asked the question, who are you and what do you do, responded with, “I’m a college advocate. A big chunk of my job is advocacy work. So as a college advocate, I can work with students as well as staff and employees. We only work with survivors, not perpetrators. I work with students and staff and give them options on what your school can do. I cover all the options and all of what someone could do. I don’t tell anyone what to do, ever. I support, ask questions and guide them.”

If you or someone you know may need help, you can go onto the internet and search RESTORE sexual assault services, and it will take you to the 211wny website. You will be provided with a ton of information on the website. A more common approach to finding help through RESTORE is through their hotline. According to Paris, the hotline is a 24/7 hotline where anyone can call and talk to someone who will be there to listen, answer questions, and get you more information. Zoe stated, “The hotline is normally a start for most people. The hotline is the number one way to get information and talk to the right person.” The hotline phone number for anyone who may need it is +1 (585)-546-2777.

RESTORE is a completely free and confidential resource that a lot of people don’t know about. Paris, as a college advocate for Genesee Community College, assures everyone that she is fully confidential.

In these sorts of situations being scared or nervous to say something is very common and it can be hard to speak up. Paris said, “I always say, you are the expert on you. I’m not going to tell you what to do or not to do. Education is power and getting that support is powerful. If someone is a little nervous, that’s totally fine. If someone doesn’t want to report anything, then let’s talk about it. In a year from now and you decide you want to report something, then I’ll help you. There is no timeline. You can be anonymous as well.”

Being a survivor of sexual assault can be very hard on the mind, even if that person is a secondary survivor instead of a primary one. It is important to know that as a primary survivor or a secondary survivor, you have options, and you can find support in RESTORE using the hotline.

Along with RESTORE being there to serve all kinds of survivors, RESTORE is also an organization that accepts job applications and volunteers. RESTORE is open to anyone who would like to help others. College students are the most common people to volunteer with RESTORE. It is most common with college students because they know better than anyone else what kids their age are going through. They assist with the hotline and provide survivors with the information they need as well as providing them with the support they need from either themselves or a higher source such as an advocate or counselor.

One piece of advice that Paris said she would give to someone who is looking into going into this sort of a career is, “Balance between personal and work life is super important. This isn’t light work or easy work. Lean into your peers, and not just friends and family, people that work in this line of work along with you as well.”

RESTORE also actively shows their services in all county courthouses. For example, for Domestic Violence Awareness month, the month of October, RESTORE set out flags in front of the county courthouses such as Monroe County and the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming) counties. RESTORE also does the same thing for the month of April which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Anyone within Monroe County and the GLOW counties can be provided with support, advice, and help for any sort of sexual assault instance that they or someone they know may have gone through. RESTORE offers free services to anyone who needs them and anyone who contacts them through their hotline. Without RESTORE, people within these counties wouldn’t have as many opportunities to get help and be provided resources for the trauma they have gone through.

For any primary or secondary survivors, if you are in need of help, or need advice or support, go to the internet and search: RESTORE sexual assault services. Call their 24/7 hotline +1(585)-546-2777 and be helped by one of the many amazing people who provide survivors like you with resources that you need.

Your mental state as a primary or secondary survivor matters and RESTORE is there to recognize that and help you or someone you know through the process of what you went through. Always know that you are never alone.