After our 2026 Event, a note from ASPEN Executive Director, Heidi Barrett:

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Thank you to all who attended ASPEN’s April 10th Community Event. It was a rousing success, and we continue to hear how much people enjoyed the message, the venue, delicious food and, of course, the good company! Everyone was thrilled to see the Community Closet receive ASPEN’s Impact Award and hear remarks by retired CEO, Caron Cooper. And because of the financial support of the community, we netted over $11,500! Thank you!

We host our event in April because it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Any awareness this year must include current events. You will have heard of sexual abuses by many powerful men—many who are associated with the current administration—represented in the Epstein files.  It is infuriating to know of the stacks of evidence against these men and to hear the testimony of so many women and girls—and yet here we are, with little or no accountability or justice.

After a press statement by the First Lady on April 8th, the survivors decided to respond:

“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice. First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power: the Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump Administration, which has still not fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

It also diverts attention from Pam Bondi (who has since been relieved of her duties), who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors’ identities. Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers. Survivors have done their part. Now it is time for those in power to do theirs.”

–April 9, 2026

 

All of us at ASPEN, and I hope all of you as well, stand in solidarity with these survivors. They all deserve to see justice served and the perpetrators held accountable for these crimes. Abuse is always associated with someone or a group who holds power over an individual or a group of individuals.  

 

ASPEN also believes that a society, and indeed a nation, is made stronger when we address our problems with empathy and compassion and when we embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.  With your help, we work every day to make the world safer.

We believe that words DO MATTER.  Name-calling, belittling others when they don’t agree with you or worse, using words which actually incite violence against others, is wrong. It is terribly wrong. Rather, using words that evoke understanding, kindness and respect goes a long way to making our nation, our communities and our families safer.  

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Thank you for sticking with us!