When the clients of Pure Barre voted to team up with the Sexual Assault Victim Advocates Center, they decided to see for themselves how a community of women can help each other.
Pure Barre is a type of workout that uses the ballet barre to create a full-body workout. According to its website, the studio is about more than just exercise.
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“At Pure Barre, women share a sense of community, in which they are inspired and empowered by each other’s fitness and lifestyle goals,” according to the studio’s website.
When it came time for the Fort Collins studio to pick a local charity to raise money for as part of its “Pure Give” campaign, the group choose between a list of five different organizations. SAVA was selected this year.
“They approached us, which is pretty amazing,” said Paulina Pestridge, the director of development for SAVA as well as the bilingual advocate for the Fort Collins office.
SAVA is dedicated to providing services for victims of sexual assault as well as preventative education. Anyone above 13 years old can go to the office for help — they have private and group services and charge on a sliding scale. The sliding scale means that clients are only expected to pay what they are capable of paying, so finances should not be a limiting factor when seeking help.
“SAVA is a fabulous organization and a tremendous asset to the community,” said Stephanie Spalding, the owner of Pure Barre Fort Collins. “I wish there wasn’t a need for their work at all, but sexual assault is far too prevalent and victims need a safe place, a listening ear and a caring heart to turn to.”
Private donations, such as what was received from Pure Barre Fort Collins, make up 17 percent of SAVA’s funding.
This year, Pure Barre voted to raise money for SAVA, with the goal of beating last year’s CASA donation of $1,500.
“We worked hard to brainstorm lots of different ways to incentivize clients and the community to open their wallets,” Spalding said.
Between traditional social media, donation-only classes, raffles, partnerships with local businesses and a generous client who matched all donations, the studio met its goal by raising $3,536 in August.
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Collegian Reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick can be reached at news@collegian.com or via Twitter @tatianasophiapt.