April 3, 2024 — A lip-syncing competition returns to Victory North at the end of April to help raise awareness for victims of sexual assault during sexual assault awareness month.
The “Find Your Voice” Lip-Syncing Competition, hosted by Mary’s Place Sexual Assault Center of the Coastal Empire, is coming back for its second year on April 26 at 7 p.m. at Victory North. Contestants, who had to sign up by the end of February, will dress up and lip-sync to their song of choice and are invited to express themselves to the extent.
“This is an opportunity for people in our community to support a meaningful cause and do something out of their normal realm,” said Doris L. Williams, executive director of Mary’s Place. “We have businesses and we have a couple politicians that I can’t wait to see them perform.”
Mary’s Place, formerly known as the Rape Crisis Center, renamed itself in 2022 to its original volunteer, Mary McAlister, but has been an establishment for more than 25 years. Williams hopes that events like these will help raise awareness that victims have an outlet in the Hostess City.
“It’s called ‘Find Your Voice’ because we encourage survivors of sexual violence to find their voice and their path on their journey to healing,” said Williams. “We also encourage the students that we provide this resource to, to find their voice, to make sure if they’re unsafe, that they know the red flags and that they know who to contact.”
Mary’s Place asked for local businesses to sponsor the event, anywhere in the range from $500 to $10,000, but always asks for donations from people.
“We are appreciative of it because people don’t realize it could be $20 to get a survivor something to eat while they’re waiting on an exam or doing the whole process,” said Williams. “All donations are appreciated and we are able to use them for both departments.”
