About Respect Together
Our Vision
Communities unite in the prevention of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment and develop a future of Respect Together for all people.
Our Mission
Respect Together, through our divisions in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, will create lasting change by mobilizing advocates, service providers, leaders, and communities to support survivors, advance victims’ rights, and prevent sexual abuse, assault, and harassment.
Our History
The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) was formed in 1975 to support and advocate for the collective needs of rape crisis centers throughout Pennsylvania. It was one of the first state sexual assault coalitions in the United States and one of the few to have a dedicated line item in the state’s annual budget. PCAR supports survivors of sexual abuse throughout all 67 counties of Pennsylvania, through a network of community-based centers.
PCAR received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of the Violence Against Women Act, to create a National Sexual Violence Resource Center, that opened in July 2000. The NSVRC has grown to be a leading nationwide provider of information and tools, including hosting the largest resource library in the world devoted to sexual violence and its prevention and coordinating Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) activities each April.
Over time, the acronym PCAR was used to mean both the entire organization and also the state coalition activities. This created confusion, as did having a national entity under the umbrella of a state organization. For these, and other, reasons the organization was rebranded in 2023 as Respect Together. This name together with the tagline “united to end sexual abuse, assault, and harassment”, reflects the vision we are moving toward and that it can only be achieved by working closely with many partners and allies.
Respect Together unites all elements of our work under one name with the continuing operation of our two major divisions – the re-named Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR), which focuses on advocacy in Pennsylvania; and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), which provides resources and prevention strategies at the national level. Together, we are working to disrupt the driving forces behind sexual violence to create and uphold safe, equitable communities with a culture of respect for all people.
Our Core Values
History: We remember, honor, share, retell, and are guided by the richness of our history. We build upon it and use it. The future we create is informed, but not dictated, by our history.
Social Transformation: We do transformative work of social change, with a commitment to intentional collaboration, for the collective good. We seek to be a significant force in the prevention of sexual violence through education, advocacy, and collaboration that serves as a driving force in ending sexual violence.
Stewardship of Resources: We are responsible stewards of resources. We are dedicated to the efficient and effective use of our resources. We accept the responsibility of the public’s trust and are accountable for our actions.
Respect: We treat one another with respect and kindness and assume the best of one another.
Collaboration: We honor and empower our partnerships and the people we serve to inform and influence our work.
Integrity: We foster a trustworthy environment that promotes and supports the value and diversity of all people.
Financial Information
Respect Together is funded by grants from federal and state government agencies, private and public foundations and donations from corporations and individuals aligned with our mission.
Key Leaders
The Respect Together Board of Directors is made up of community members and representatives from rape crisis centers and organizations.
Mae-Ling Kranz [she/her] (PASAC)
CEO, Transitions of PA
Mary Onama
President
Yolanda Edrington
Ex-Officio
Melinda Maloney
Vice President
Christine Zaccarelli
Vice President of PASAC, PASAC Public Policy Committee Co-Chair
Susheela Varky
Member-at-Large, Governance Committee Chair
Angie Lightfoot Roth
Treasurer
Amber Morningstar
PASAC
