GaDuGi SafeCenter to change name to The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center

Effective Monday, the Lawrence-based GaDuGi SafeCenter will change its name to The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center.

GaDuGi executive director Chrissy Heikkila said in a news release that the new name will more explicitly represent the services the organization provides.

“We love the name GaDuGi SafeCenter and it has served our agency well,” Heikkila said. “As we are expanding and growing, the need for a name that is accessible and inclusive made the decision clear.”

Though the name will change, the services will not, GaDuiGi director of community engagement Rachel Gadd-Nelson said.

‘Counseling, Advocacy & Response, and Education are still the core programs that serve victim-survivors of sexual trauma and abuse of all ages and genders,” Gadd-Nelson said.

Last year, the agency provided 335 adult men, women, and transgender people and children with 1,385 hours of therapy and advocacy services, Gadd-Nelson said. The agency also reached more than 3,000 people with 106 outreach and educational events.

This isn’t the first time the organization has changed its name, Gadd-Nelson said. The agency began in 1972 under the name Rape Victim Support Services.

GaDuGi is a Cherokee word meaning “working together with the community.”