The Centre County Women’s Resource Center is changing its name to Centre Safe this October to better reflect its services, which aren’t just for women.
Executive Director Anne Ard said the decision has been years in the making.
“We first started thinking about it, frankly, right after the Sandusky scandal because it became really clear to us that there were male survivors in the community of both sexual and domestic violence who might be inhibited from coming to us by our name,” Ard said.
While the majority of the nearly 1,000 people the center serves annually are women, it’s always provided services for men and children. Services include a shelter, a crisis hotline and counseling.
After a two-year process of community surveys and focus groups, Ard said she realized it was time to make the change.
“One of the things someone said to me early on in these conversations was, ‘If your mission is inclusive, don’t you think your name ought to reflect that?’ And that changed my mind,” Ard said.
Ard said the center considered more than 75 name possibilities before choosing Centre Safe.
"I hope that communicates to people that this is a safe place," Ard said.
The name change will become official at a celebration Oct. 7 during domestic violence awareness month.
