On Tuesday, April 25, the Oneida Crisis Center hosted an event at the City Park Pavilion to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault as a national and global issue.  Teal Tuesday is a national day set aside to raise awareness of a topic that is often underreported, and where victims themselves often report feeling stigmatized.  

The Crisis Center set up a stand in the City Park to distribute information on issues related to Sexual Assault, as well as services for those in need.  In addition, the Center also distributed street tacos.

The mission of the Oneida Crisis Center is to educate and promote safe and healthy individuals, families, housing, and a prosperous community by working to ensure peaceful family relationships and providing support to victims of abuse.

Abuse is an issue that can resonate differently in different environments, with a range of complex underlying issues involved.  Often, according to the NSRVC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center), communication can be at the heart of problems that develop in relationships where partners may have different ideas about conduct or consent.  Consent, in fact, is at the heart of the message being spread by support organizations across the country this month.  Relationships can strengthened by ensuring that informed consent is a mutual part of all physical relationships.

While it is never an easy topic to discuss, it is one that affects people in every part of the country, and the world.  According to the most recent statistics, 81% of women and 43% of men report experiencing some form of sexual assault or harassment in their lifetimes.  Additionally, 1 in 3 female victims and 1 in 4 male victims report having been assaulted between the ages of 11 and 17.  By the numbers, 734,630 people in the U.S. were sexually assaulted in 2018.  If the numbers seem outside of the average experience, it’s important to note that 51.1% of females reported being assaulted by an intimate partner, and 40.8% by an acquaintance, meaning that assaults by strangers are significantly less common.  These numbers, however, aren’t unique to female victims. The numbers for male victims are very similar, with 52.4% reporting being assaulted by an acquaintance, and only 15.1% by a stranger.

While Oneida County is relatively safe in terms of the general occurrence of domestic abuse/sexual assault, it certainly isn’t immune.  During any given month, the police report indicates at least one sexual assault, which is significant given the small population.  Many cases of sexual assault also go unreported for any number of reasons, including the increasing prevalence of abusive interactions in online environments where the victims are less inclined to report them.

The Crisis Center encourages anyone who feels endangered or in need of support to contact its crisis line at 208-766-3119, or its Spanish language line at 208-681-8715.  The Main Office can be contacted at 208-766-4412.

Patti and Mark Jones to be 

honored by Governor

At today’s “Capital for a Day,” longtime volunteers Mark and Patti Jones are to be honored by Idaho Governor Brad Little for their service to the community.  The couple, which received a Dove award at the Crisis Center’s 25th anniversary celebration, will be given special recognition by Serve Idaho and the Department of Labor during the day’s events.

The award is part of the Serve Idaho initiative, which was founded in 1994 by Governor Cecil Andrus to promote collaborative efforts among private and nonprofit organizations, schools, and state and local government agencies to advance volunteerism throughout the state.  It recognizes those who have contributed their own time and effort to bettering their communities and make them friendlier, better places.

Since 2019, Mark and Patti have volunteered with the Crisis Center, and specifically the food pantry, for untold numbers of hours.  In officially recorded hours alone, the two spent 126 hours serving the needs of visitors to Carol’s Pantry just last year.  In addition to the Crisis Center, Patti and Mark serve with the Malad Senior Citizen Center, Heritage Square, Idaho Farm Bureau, the Mobile Food Bank, the Red Cross, and any number of local churches and individuals.

Patti is a retired nurse, and Mark is a retired farmer living here in Malad.  They have been married for 44 years, and have three children, one deceased.  They were Ag Ambassadors for Idaho Farm Bureau in 2017, and have been stalwarts of the community for years.

According to the nomination submitted by Crisis Center Housing Specialist Advocate Marcia Stocks: “Patti and Mark are a team!  They are willing to help in any way they can and they don’t want or need the notoriety of doing it!  

They are an outstanding example of what charity is all about.  They strive to bring peace to others, whether it be in the home with food, a listening ear, or a Mom just needing a little time away from the stress of daily life.  They believe that it doesn’t matter how hard your life has been or how much you have, if you can give back and try to make it better for others, then you should do it!  Oneida County is a more prosperous community by the generosity and willingness of those like Patti & Mark to reach out and include others no matter what their age, gender or race is. While Patti is a walking resource, Mark is her filing cabinet of direction and support.  If she doesn’t know, she will find out!  Everyone is equal in their eyes and this helps to ensure healthy family and community members.  This couple is silently teaching others by their example of promoting safe and healthy individuals, giving support to those in need no matter the circumstances.  Their judge free spirit is something that we can all learn from and hopefully can continue to pass onto others.”  

Marcia Stocks shared a story about the couples’ willingness to help others in need in her nomination.  She recounted a tale of one community member who had found herself in an abusive relationship.  When the Crisis Center had managed to find a suitable apartment, Patti and Mark stepped in to transport the individuals from various doctor’s appointments and stores to take care of her immediate needs, and visit with her every day to ensure that her food and medication needs were being properly taken care of.  

According to Stocks, the couple opened their ears and the hearts to help the situation in every way they could, which was an excellent example of their integrity and caring.  Malad is grateful for people with such an impressive capacity for caring, and the governor seems to agree.