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Teal House to host open house event Sept. 26
Teal House adult waiting room
The adult waiting room is designed to be a calming, safe space for clients to rest and process their emotions. (Submitted photo.)

Special to the Herald

The Teal House, or the Statesboro Regional Sexual Assault Center, Inc. (SRSAC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, 209 S. College St., Statesboro, will host an open house event on Sept. 26 from 6-9 p.m.

The event, which is free to the public, will allow the staff of The Teal House to showcase the various services that are available. Refreshments will be served during the event. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided by Ellis Meats.

The event will also give staff the opportunity to show off the newly rebuilt porch -- a service project as part of the Bulloch County 2024 Cohort of the Management Development Program from the UGA Carl Vinson Institute for Government.

Teal House exterior
The Teal House serves the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Bulloch, Jenkins, Screven, and Effingham counties. (Submitted photo.)
The Teal House serves the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Bulloch, Jenkins, Screven, and Effingham counties. While the center specializes in assisting victims of sexual violence of all ages, the staff also has forensic interviewers on call to talk with children ages 3-17 who have been the victim or witness of any violent crime at the request of law enforcement or DFCS.

The non-profit also has a crisis line available 24/7 days to support and provide information to sexual assault victims and their family and friends.

Additional services provided to the community by The Teal House include medical exams for victims of sexual assault, advocacy, support groups, counseling services, community outreach, and education.

“We would love to give the opportunity to the public to come in and check out what we do. Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every nine minutes, that victim is a child,” said Lily Gray, Teal House executive director. “We want the members of our community to know that we are here for them if they become part of that statistic. Please join us for food, tours, a ribbon cutting, and comradery,”

The Teal House receives grants from various organizations, but its main source of funding is through donations. The cost of a rape kit is $6 and the cost of a gown for a sexual assault victim is $10. These small donation amounts can make a huge impact in the lives of survivors of sexual assault and violence. As of release date, The Teal House has performed 32 medical exams and 113 forensic interviews in 2024; and in the past three years, Teal House has completed 188 adult medical exams, 55 pediatric medical exams, and 463 forensic interviews.

To further raise money, The Teal House is partnering with locally owned Helpful Tees.

The tees are available online through Sept. 28. Order shirts or sweatshirts by clicking on https://helpfultees.com/collections/all.