Sexual abuse. Physical abuse. Emotional abuse. Women often fall victim to these types of crimes. When a sexual assault happens on campus, there are “mandatory reporters” who are required to report it, though students are never forced to speak up.

Becky Lopez, Title IX Coordinator at West Texas A&M University, said it sometimes takes time for someone to process what has happened to them before they are able to share their story with someone else.

“They should not be embarrassed to contact someone for help,” Lopez said. “It’s not always about the act itself. Sometimes, it’s about having power over another person.”

Students involved with LEAD WT have created Helping Hearts, a women’s advocacy group, in an effort to help students, especially women, who have suffered from and are struggling with abuses. Each member of Helping Hearts has a tie to abuse in some way.

“This project has really been tugging at all of our heartstrings,” Meagan Brown, junior Environmental Science and Biology major, said. “We don’t feel like this is just a project for our LEAD WT group anymore. It’s something we need to do for us and for WT students.”

Helping Hearts will serve as an “in-between” for women going through abuse. The group will be there to provide help and guidance. They will be trained to handle different situations.

“That way they don’t have to sit in a dark room and tell their story to a police officer,” Brown said. “We want to offer a homey and comfortable environment for these women.”

Landry Morren, junior Mass Communication major, said being the same age as fellow WT students who fall victim to abuse will allow Helping Hearts members to connect with these students on a level they wouldn’t be able to with other people.

Morren said things happen around campus that hurt people and impact their lives. They believe their group will have an impact on campus and that it will be an important resource.

“We’ve had contact with officers at UPD who were ecstatic that we had started this group because this is an issue and is something that we as students can use to help others,” Morren said.

Brown said they hope to expand and be able to reach all of Canyon and the surrounding communities. Helping Hearts is also striving to offer internships and volunteer opportunities in the future.

“I want to make helping hearts as accessible as possible for women,” Brown said. “Being a victim myself, I understand how difficult it is for victims to talk to others about their abuses. That’s why [we are] here, to bridge that gap and make it a little easier.”

Members of Helping Hearts are Brown, Morren, Carlye Dozier and Abby Betts.