Our Mission

The Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. (KASAP) is the statewide coalition of the 13 rape crisis centers in the Commonwealth. The mission of KASAP is to speak with a unified voice against sexual victimization.

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History

In the early 1970s, a small group of women across Kentucky and the United States began operating rape crisis hotlines from their home phones. These women were the pioneers of Kentucky’s anti-rape movement. They volunteered their time and their homes, often times paying out of pocket to keep the crisis lines running, because they saw a need for crisis counseling for victims of sexual assault in their communities. These women provided support for victims. As resources became available, they also provided information on community services and victim rights in Kentucky.

Rape Crisis Centers began opening their doors across Kentucky in the 1970s and early 1980s. These were grassroots organizations providing services to their local communities. In 1986, the Kentucky General Assembly became one of the first legislatures in the nation to include a line-item appropriation in the state budget for program development of Kentucky Rape Crisis Centers. In that same year, rape crisis programs began in Ashland, Paducah, Hazard, Corbin, Prestonsburg, and Hopkinsville, joining other rape crisis centers in Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Louisville, Owensboro, Bowling Green, and Elizabethtown that pre-existed the availability of state funds. The Kentucky legislature has sustained its commitment to the state’s Rape Crisis Centers, allowing for the growth of services these centers provide to their community.

The Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs is the coalition of Kentucky’s 13 regional Rape Crisis Centers. KASAP was formed in 1990 and dedicated to the mission of “speaking with a unified voice against sexual victimization.” Initially, the business of the Association was carried out exclusively by the members of its Board of Directors, each of whom represents one of Kentucky’s 13 regional Rape Crisis Programs. In 1996, KASAP hired its first Executive Director, Marigail Sexton. In 2005, KASAP assumed administrative responsibility for managing state funds provided to regional Rape Crisis Centers. In 2001, Eileen Recktenwald became KASAP’s Executive Director and has six full-time employees and several contractors that work to serve all its centers.

This project was supported by Grant Number VAWA ARRA-2009-KASAP-00034 awarded through the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The Opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women or the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.