The Hope in Healing: Mary Bayard Honorary Scholarship Fund
Our scholarship fund provides therapy for those who cannot afford our sliding-fee-scale. All scholarship funds received by clients come from donations that have been directed to the Hope in Healing Scholarship Fund.
Fund Facts
Hope In Healing scholarships make it possible for low-income survivors to receive specialized and individualized therapy to best meet their needs in healing.
- Every dollar donated to the Hope In Healing Fund directly pays for therapy for clients on scholarship.
- Survivors qualify for scholarship funding based on financial need.
- Availability of scholarships is determined by donations directed to the fund.
- $30,000-40,000 of scholarship funds are needed to support survivors who qualify each year.
- Over 220 survivors have received Hope In Healing Scholarships since the fund began in 2009.
- Named in honor of Mary Bayard, Roanoke Park Counseling Clinical Supervisor from 1992-2009.
Scholarships reflect our commitment to our clients and our donors' understanding of the value of long-term therapy to allow heal after being sexually abused in childhood.
To contribute to the fund, donate below and indicate that your gift be directed to the Hope In Healing Fund.
The Hope in Healing Fund Story
In honor of Mary Bayard and the hundreds of lives who found help through her warmth, caring and dedication to their healing, we created the Hope In Healing Fund: Mary Bayard Honorary Scholarship when she retired in 2009.
As Roanoke Park Counseling's Clinical Supervisor from 1992 to 2009, Mary's was the first voice survivors heard in response to their request for help.
Mary's reassuring and welcoming presence eased the very difficult first steps to begin healing for hundreds of survivors. They often expressed to her in their first visit that they felt hope for the first time.
Mary often commented that needing to turn survivors away when they couldn't afford services was the most difficult part of her job. Without a dedicated fund, serving our lowest fee clients easily compromised our ability to serve other clients.
In honor of Mary's dedication to each and every survivor of childhood sexual abuse and to RPC's mission of providing affordable services for all, we created the Hope in Healing Fund.
The Hope in Healing Scholarship Fund is restricted for the sole purpose of providing therapy services to survivors who qualify for financial assistance. We are able to support scholarship clients based on donations to the fund. Since 2009, over 220 survivors have received therapy at RPC funded by scholarship donations.
Donate Using the Form Below
Since the inception of the Scholarship Fund in June of 2009, over 232 survivors have received services totaling 4,207 hours of therapy! Through your incredible generosity, we have provided $245,858 worth of therapy services to survivors!
Marcella' STORY
As soon as Marcella* stepped into Roanoke Park Counseling’s office for her intake appointment she began to cry. “I don’t know if you can help me. I don’t know if anyone can.”
Marcella tearfully told the story of growing up in an affluent suburban home that looked beautiful and happy from the outside. “No one could imagine that nearly every night since I turned 13 my stepfather would come into my bedroom and abuse me. I didn’t know how to tell my mom, my friends, or my teachers what was happening. I knew no one would believe my story of what was going on inside my ‘perfect’ home.”
In high school, Marcella turned to drugs to help numb the pain. “I knew I was hurting myself, but I didn’t care. Anything was better than feeling all those awful feelings of shame.” Looking for the next high became a way of life until she nearly overdosed at age 25. She knew then that she had to get help.
When Marcella finally called Roanoke Park Counseling, she had been clean for nearly a year, but found she couldn’t cope with life. “Without the drugs, I’m anxious all the time and the memories of the abuse are coming back. I can’t afford counseling; I don’t have insurance and I can barely make ends meet with my part-time jobs. But I don’t want to hurt anymore. I want a better life.”
Please help us to continue to provide therapy to people like Marcella, make a gift today.
*Identifying details of this story have been changed to protect client privacy.
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I don't want to hurt anymore. I want a better life.