Please join us in welcoming Kristi to PCCLD. See below, an article about her from The Pueblo Chieftain. Welcome Kristi!
A change in leadership at Pueblo Rape Crisis Services
By Jon Pompia The Pueblo Chieftain
Posted Feb 17, 2020 at 12:05 PMUpdated Feb 17, 2020 at 12:05 PM
Service to the community continues to define Kristi Roque’s life.
For the past six years, Roque has served as executive director of
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services, a position that allowed her to positively
impact the lives of hundreds of survivors of sexual violence and
increase awareness of this ongoing issue.
At the month’s end, Roque is leaving to pursue another of her
passions, library work. Kirsten Taylor, who has a long association with
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services, has been named as Roque’s replacement.
“I’ve been working on my master’s in library and information science,
and I finished in December,” Roque said. “And I’m moving on to
become a librarian at Pueblo City-Country Library District’s Patrick A.
Lucero Branch. It’s been one of my dreams and I’m excited to begin
this new career path.”
Roque said creating a welcoming and warm work environment,
increasing awareness of sexual violence and the non-profit agency’s
role in addressing it, and the “team effort” — staff, volunteers and
board — that’s positively impacted numerous lives have been high-
points of her tenure.
“The agency was great before,” she said. “But I think I was able to
build on that greatness: improve services and increase overall
programming. We have a dedicated case manager now and increased
our outreach position to full time, so we’ve been able to be in the
community on a greater level than in the past.
“We’ve been able to make connections with schools and youth-serving
agencies in a way that really wasn’t here before.”
Mary Cristelli, acting president of the agency’s board, praised Roque
for her commitment.
“The last six years have been incredible,” Cristelli said. “I think the
presence of the agency in the community has really grown. Kristi built
some really strong partnerships between the sexual assault nurse
examiners program at Parkview Medical Center and with the Pueblo
Police Department, to increase the educational piece with law
enforcement.
“And I think she’s given a voice to survivors in some unique ways.”
Taylor has served on the agency’s board of directors and as an on-call
victim advocate since 2015. In 2017 and 2018, she lived and worked in
Guatemala while remaining active on the board and with fundraising
activities.
“I’m so excited to be moving into the leadership role, having worked
closely with Kristi both at PRCS and in various other settings for the
last 15 years,” Taylor said. “She has been an incredible force of energy
and positive momentum, positioning PRCS as a well-respected and
credible community partner in our work in sexual assault prevention
and intervention.
“My intention is to continue that momentum. I think it’s been really
powerful to watch the transition the organization has made over the
past six years under Kristi’s leadership, and I’m excited to keep the
boat steering in the right direction.”
Added Cristelli, “Kirsten has a long history of dedication to the agency.
And she is coming to us with years worth of grant-writing and
fundraising experience. She’s worked in the non-profit world in
various capacities and she brings a host of skills we are very excited to
have here: skills that will ensure a seamless transition.”
In 2019, Pueblo Rape Crisis Services saw 462 primary and secondary
survivors of sexual violence: 17.6% increase in primary survivors and
24% increase in secondary survivors from the previous year.
“There will always be a lot of people needing our services,” Roque said.
“From the standpoint of this agency, the progress has been in reaching
out to the community through education, outreach and prevention.
And in the bigger picture, that vision will continue.
“Making a dent in lowing the number of sexual assaults in a given
year? That’s a lot of time, and a lot of work, and it doesn’t happen
overnight. So with the amount of education, outreach, prevention
work we’re doing, that’s the bigger picture. We want to live in a world
where sexual violence doesn’t exist, but it does, and we still serve more
than 400 people every year.”
On April 18, the Walk a Mile and the Empower 5K, the agency’s
primary fundraiser, is set to take place at Colorado State University-
Pueblo.
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services is located on the fifth floor of the Thatcher
Building, 503 N. Main St., Downtown. Call 544-1191 for more
information or to learn about volunteer opportunities.
A change in leadership at Pueblo Rape Crisis Services
By Jon Pompia The Pueblo Chieftain
Posted Feb 17, 2020 at 12:05 PMUpdated Feb 17, 2020 at 12:05 PM
Service to the community continues to define Kristi Roque’s life.
For the past six years, Roque has served as executive director of
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services, a position that allowed her to positively
impact the lives of hundreds of survivors of sexual violence and
increase awareness of this ongoing issue.
At the month’s end, Roque is leaving to pursue another of her
passions, library work. Kirsten Taylor, who has a long association with
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services, has been named as Roque’s replacement.
“I’ve been working on my master’s in library and information science,
and I finished in December,” Roque said. “And I’m moving on to
become a librarian at Pueblo City-Country Library District’s Patrick A.
Lucero Branch. It’s been one of my dreams and I’m excited to begin
this new career path.”
Roque said creating a welcoming and warm work environment,
increasing awareness of sexual violence and the non-profit agency’s
role in addressing it, and the “team effort” — staff, volunteers and
board — that’s positively impacted numerous lives have been high-
points of her tenure.
“The agency was great before,” she said. “But I think I was able to
build on that greatness: improve services and increase overall
programming. We have a dedicated case manager now and increased
our outreach position to full time, so we’ve been able to be in the
community on a greater level than in the past.
“We’ve been able to make connections with schools and youth-serving
agencies in a way that really wasn’t here before.”
Mary Cristelli, acting president of the agency’s board, praised Roque
for her commitment.
“The last six years have been incredible,” Cristelli said. “I think the
presence of the agency in the community has really grown. Kristi built
some really strong partnerships between the sexual assault nurse
examiners program at Parkview Medical Center and with the Pueblo
Police Department, to increase the educational piece with law
enforcement.
“And I think she’s given a voice to survivors in some unique ways.”
Taylor has served on the agency’s board of directors and as an on-call
victim advocate since 2015. In 2017 and 2018, she lived and worked in
Guatemala while remaining active on the board and with fundraising
activities.
“I’m so excited to be moving into the leadership role, having worked
closely with Kristi both at PRCS and in various other settings for the
last 15 years,” Taylor said. “She has been an incredible force of energy
and positive momentum, positioning PRCS as a well-respected and
credible community partner in our work in sexual assault prevention
and intervention.
“My intention is to continue that momentum. I think it’s been really
powerful to watch the transition the organization has made over the
past six years under Kristi’s leadership, and I’m excited to keep the
boat steering in the right direction.”
Added Cristelli, “Kirsten has a long history of dedication to the agency.
And she is coming to us with years worth of grant-writing and
fundraising experience. She’s worked in the non-profit world in
various capacities and she brings a host of skills we are very excited to
have here: skills that will ensure a seamless transition.”
In 2019, Pueblo Rape Crisis Services saw 462 primary and secondary
survivors of sexual violence: 17.6% increase in primary survivors and
24% increase in secondary survivors from the previous year.
“There will always be a lot of people needing our services,” Roque said.
“From the standpoint of this agency, the progress has been in reaching
out to the community through education, outreach and prevention.
And in the bigger picture, that vision will continue.
“Making a dent in lowing the number of sexual assaults in a given
year? That’s a lot of time, and a lot of work, and it doesn’t happen
overnight. So with the amount of education, outreach, prevention
work we’re doing, that’s the bigger picture. We want to live in a world
where sexual violence doesn’t exist, but it does, and we still serve more
than 400 people every year.”
On April 18, the Walk a Mile and the Empower 5K, the agency’s
primary fundraiser, is set to take place at Colorado State University-
Pueblo.
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services is located on the fifth floor of the Thatcher
Building, 503 N. Main St., Downtown. Call 544-1191 for more
information or to learn about volunteer opportunities.