A line of shirts, jeans and other garments will soon hang outside Hope Unlimited, each one telling a story of survival.
In recognition of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Hope Unlimited is hosting a clothesline exhibit titled “More Than What I Wore,” designed to challenge misconceptions about sexual violence and amplify survivor voices.
Community members are invited to decorate and submit clothing items by March 30. The display will be installed during the first week of April.
The idea, said Sexual Assault Response Team coordinator Brandy Foster, grew out of a desire to bring visibility to an issue that is often overlooked in rural communities.
Foster, who has been with Hope Unlimited for about eight months, said she wanted to create something that would catch people’s attention and encourage them to stop and think.
Originally from Bentonville, Arkansas, Foster moved to Kansas in 2016 and spent nearly nine years working with Tri-Valley Developmental Services, where she eventually served as assistant director.
Her path into advocacy was shaped in part by her own difficult childhood experiences.
“Advocacy has always been where I want to be whether it be with adults with intellectual disabilities, whether it be with domestic violence, human trafficking, or sexual assault,” Foster said.
Many people, she said, still believe sexual assault is primarily an urban issue.
“No one believes it can happen here,” Foster said.
In 2024, Hope Unlimited received 92 sexual violence calls with 77 sexual violence victims receiving their services. Also in 2024, there were 194 victims using its emergency shelter due to sexual violence.
The exhibit aims to challenge that perception while giving survivors and allies a chance to express themselves.
Participants can submit a wide range of items, from T-shirts to jeans, with messages written on them ranging from affirmations to more personal reflections.
THE PROJECT’S title, “More Than What I Wore,” speaks directly to a common and harmful misconception about sexual assault.
Foster said the phrase is meant to spotlight that a person’s clothing or how they dress is never to blame.
“It means I am more than what I was wearing when the assault happened to me,” she said.
