“I came to Mesa thinking I was going to go into music education, and I was actually a victim of sexual assault by somebody that was very close to me and that I trusted. It took me a long time to first to come out and tell what happened to me and then longer to heal from that,” freshman Kami Sue Keeling said.
Her dream to help others that have been victimized through sexual crimes is becoming a reality with the formation of a new club on campus called “Shine.”
Keeling said that sex crimes are crimes that have victims, but often leave victims with no voice. Keeling said that the club “Opens an avenue for girls to talk. They don’t want to come forward a lot of the time because they are afraid and unfortunately, we live in a society where often times people think, ‘Well, she is just seeking attention’ or ‘she’s a party girl, she deserved it; she was asking for it.”
Though the club is in its infancy stages and just submitted paperwork to become official, the response has been positive.
“There have been a of couple girls that have said, ‘I am really glad you are doing this, let me tell you what has happened to me,” Keeling said. Keeling hopes the club will become a place for victims of sex crimes to talk.
“We offer free therapy from trained professionals to girls who are victims of sexual assault, abuse, or rape,” she said, “One lady is donating her time. As we grow to a nonprofit status, we hope to have the means to pay for that therapy. We also have support groups for them. Some girls want to talk one on one to a therapist, and some girls are ready to talk in a group, so we do group therapy as well.”
Keeling plans to bring attention to sex crimes that many people are currently unaware of. One of those being the growing and frightening problem of sex trafficking.
“Unfortunately, when people think of sex trafficking, they think of Thailand, or Cambodia, but sex trafficking is the second largest organized crime in the world,” Keeling said. It has become a bigger problem within the United States than many realize.
“One crazy thing that people don’t know is that Super Bowl weekend is one of the biggest sex trafficking events in the world. It is a lot bigger problem in places such as Vegas, but it is still a problem in Colorado and it is a problem here in Junction because of the meth industry,” she said.
With a local focus on crimes in Grand Junction, Keeling wants to build partnerships with other local organizations.
One of those organizations is Latimer House, a shelter for women.
The Latimer House is a shelter and serves its purpose well, but she would like to establish a home that would prepare women to re-enter society in a healthy and productive manner.
“Most girls leaving the sex industry started at a very young age and we want to help them make that transition back into the community,” she said.
Until this home is established, Keeling will continue to reach out to abused women and women who work in the sex industry.
“Eighty percent of women in the sex industry have been victims of a sexual crime and a lot of them were sexually abused as children,” Keeling said, “Not everyone wants or chooses to be there and we just want to let them know that we are here as an outlet.”
After learning that numerous girls from Mesa State are employed at the strip club in Grand Junction, Keeling would like to reach out to the women there as well.
“There could be some negative response, but we are really trying to approach it in love and if you need us, we are here. Even if it is someone you just need to talk to. We are not necessarily trying to change your lifestyle; we just want to be there.”
Keeling’s hopes are large, but her heart is larger.
“The world tries so hard to steal that shine from women, through saying, ‘this is what you should look like, how you should promote yourself.’ You are a sex object. It degrades women, we want to be here and show a healthy image of a woman and we want to help restore that shine in their lives,” she said.
Look up Shine Ministries on Facebook or contact them by email, shineministries@live.com.