Manchester resident Rowena Stough, a sexual abuse survivor who now counsels other survivors, received the United Way Community Campaign’s 2010 Courage Award at a festive luncheon held today at Lincoln Culinary Institute. Stough was nominated for the award by Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS), a program of the YWCA of New Britain and selected to receive the award by a panel of community volunteers.

Stough was abused throughout her childhood. At age 11, she was sexually assaulted by her uncle. “When I told my mother,” Stough recalled, “she slapped me. That just shouldn’t happen.”

Stough did not receive help to begin recovery until she became a young adult. She suffered flashbacks and nightmares for years. As a student at Manchester Community College, she picked up a flyer about SACS at the campus women’s center, and after one particularly difficult night, she called the SACS hotline. “It was the best thing I ever did for myself,” she remarked.

With help from SACS, Stough gained the strength to build a better life for herself. She completed an associate’s degree and became a sexual assault crisis counselor, aiding others in their recovery. Next, she plans to work toward a degree in social work.

“I don’t think of it as courage,” Stough remarked on her award. “There’s a need—there’s a real need. No matter how difficult it is for me to speak publicly, it’s time to break the silence. I want to help those who have been abused and I want to prevent other kids from being abused.”

Established in 1994, the Courage Award is presented each year to an individual who has triumphed over adversity with help from a program supported by campaign contributions to United Way Community Investment. Gifts to United Way Community Investment through the United Way Community Campaign help to provide the building blocks of a good life – education, income and health – for everyone in central and northeastern Connecticut. They support a network of local programs and services that are monitored by experienced volunteers and proven to produce results.

Sexual Assault Crisis Service and similar programs are part of the safety net of health and human services supported by United Way Community Investment dollars.