This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the ARK Domestic Violence Shelter is asking everyone in the community to make a point of wearing Denim to work and to school on Wednesday, April 29th on National Wear Denim Day.

The inspiration came from the 1992 case of a young girl who was raped by the driving instructor of a behind-the-wheel class in Italy.  The perpetrator was arrested, tried and convicted, but he appealed his case and the Italian Supreme Court overturned his conviction.  The Chief Judge reasoned that, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans, it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”

This ruling outraged women in the Italian Parliament, who all came to work the following day wearing jeans to show their solidarity with the victim.  The protest spread and the first Denim Day was born.  It is now observed in the United States as a way to raise awareness about sexual violence and correct the misconceptions that surround it.

To support the ARK, and to bring awareness to the issue, Senior Care of Brownwood is encouraging all of its employees to wear denim on April 29th, for a $2 fee, which they are donating to the ARK to continue their support of victims of sexual assault.  They are also cooking up some Frito Pie for the public to stop by and enjoy for $3.  Those proceeds will also go to the ARK.  Senior Care of Brownwood is located at 2700 Memorial Park Drive in Brownwood. \

If anyone would like more information about Denim Day or the Frito Pie Sale , call The ARK at 325-643-2699 and ask for Mary Silver.  For more information about the ARK Shelter, you can go online to www.arkshelter.org.