(Lander, WY) – The KOVE 1330 AM / 107.7 FM Today in the 10 interview series Coffee Time continued today with host Vince Tropea, who recently spoke with organizers and speakers for the “Be a Refuge: Responding to Abuse and Trauma” free seminar, happening tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM at the Covenant Presbyterian church, located at 875 Fremont Street.
Kelly Dehnert, assistant pastor at the Covenant Presbyterian Church organized the seminar, which will feature speakers Rachael Denhollander and Darby Strickland.
(You can register for the free seminar here.)
Denhollander was the first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar of sexual assault in 2015, when the later convicted child molester and rapist was still working as the U.S gymnastics team doctor, a role he held for 18 years, all while accruing over 200 victims.
Herself a victim of the disgraced Nassar, Denhollander went on to become a lawyer and advocate for abuse and trauma survivors after his conviction, was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, and received Sports Illustrated’s “Inspiration of the Year Award.”
Strickland is a well known lecturer and counselor for CCEF, is on faculty at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, and has been featured as a speaker for abuse and trauma seminars around the world.
Denhollander and Strickland will discuss making church a safe place for survivors of abuse at the seminar, in addition to discussing their books (Denhollander’s “What Is a Girl Worth?,” “What Is a Little Girl Worth?,” and “What Is a Little Boy Worth?” can be found here, and Strickland’s “Is It Abuse?: A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims” can be found here).
In addition to providing some details about the seminar, Denhollander and Strickland discuss who the seminar is for, the importance of abuse and trauma survivors to have their voices heard in a safe and non-judgemental space, the role of the church in providing those spaces, and how communities can get behind the cause.
Check out the full Coffee Time interview below with Denhollander, Strickland, Dehnert, and the LOR Foundation’s Ami Vincent, one of the groups who helped facilitate the seminar.
Be sure to tune in to Today in the 10 and Coffee Time interviews every morning from 7:00 to 9:00 AM on KOVE 1330 AM / 107.7 FM, or stream it live right here.