NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y., March 16, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls will be illuminated on Thursday, April 2, 2015, in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Facilitated each April by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Sexual Assault Awareness Month educates communities and raises public awareness about how to prevent sexual assault. This year's campaign focuses on preventing sexual violence on college campuses. Resources for parents, students, health care professionals, and members of the campus community are available online.
"Sexual violence can create lasting impacts for people who have been harmed, and our goal is to prevent it," NSVRC Director Karen Baker said. "This campaign aims to engage everyone on campus — from administrators and professors to parents and students — to help them see the role they can play in ending sexual assault. Sexual violence is preventable. It takes all of us, working together in big and small ways, to prevent sexual violence."
The Niagara Falls Illumination Board permits special color illuminations of Niagara Falls as a means to promote awareness of charitable and nonprofit events and causes. As a result, both the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls will be illuminated in teal (blue and green lighting mix), the official color of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, on April 2, for 15 minutes starting at 10 p.m.
Established in 1925, The Niagara Falls Illumination Board is made up of representatives from the City of Niagara Falls Ontario, the City of Niagara Falls, New York, Ontario Power Generation Inc., The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Niagara Parks Commission. It is the Illumination Board's responsibility and mandate to finance and maintain the nightly illumination of both the Horseshoe and American Falls.
To learn more about Sexual Assault Awareness Month, go to www.nsvrc.org/saam. For resources in Spanish, go to www.nsvrc.org/es/saam.
The NSVRC, founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, is marking its 15th anniversary this year. The center identifies, develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention, and it has the nation's largest library of resources on sexual violence and prevention. To learn more, go to www.nsvrc.org.
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=31434