RISE and Stand Strong reveal their new name after merger
RISE and Stand Strong, two San Luis Obispo organizations that support survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, have announced their new name following their merger into one organization: Lumina Alliance.
“Lumina,” a word with Latin roots, means “to light, to illuminate, to shine and to enlighten,” Lumina CEO Jennifer Adams said at a branding celebration Wednesday.
“We believe the name will inspire hope and invoke feelings of safety and warmth, especially to those we serve,” Adams said.
The name also symbolizes the organization’s work to educate the county about sexual and intimate partner violence, Adams said.
The word “Alliance” represents the two organizations joining together, and the support friends, family and the community give survivors, Adams said.
Lumina will provide “shelter, therapy, advocacy, legal services and other support” to survivors, just as its predecessors did, according to a previous news release on the merger.
The organization has about 80 staff members, one 24/7 crisis and information hotline at 805-545-8888, and offices in the cities of SLO, Paso Robles and Grover Beach.
The 24-hour hotline has been active since 1976.
“For 45 years, there has been a steady stream of volunteers and staff answering that phone,” Adams said. “I think that’s phenomenal.”
Adams said she’s seen the importance of hotlines firsthand, from calling one in 1990 about her own childhood sexual abuse to volunteering at shelters and crisis centers herself.
“I have a special place in my heart for the 24-hour crisis line,” Adams said.
Representatives of Rep. Salud Carbajal and state Sen. John Laird attended the celebration to officially recognize the organization.
In August, Lumina will launch a social marketing campaign called Re-Define SLO, which is focused on improving the “social, emotional and physical well-being” of pre-teen boys to lower harm rates, Lumina chief programs officer Jane Pomeroy said.
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
