Survivor of Sexual Assault in an Amish Community to Speak about her Experience

October 13, 2020 Lancaster, PA

Lizzie Hershberger, survivor and author, will discuss her experience of assault, journey to justice and healing in a virtual Zoom interview on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 pm. She will be interviewed by Linda Crockett, Director of Safe Communities, an organization based in Lancaster, PA dedicated to supporting adult survivors of child sexual abuse, as well as ending child sexual abuse. The event is part of a new series launched by Safe Communities that will feature the voices of survivors as part of its effort to educate the public about how this issue impacts individuals and communities.

Lizzie Hershberger grew up Swartzentruber Amish in southern Minnesota. At age 15, she was cast out of her community for being the victim of sexual assault. In the last several years, she began a journey of justice and healing that led to the conviction and imprisonment of the Amish man who assaulted her.

Lizzie and her story were featured in the February 2020 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is author of a forthcoming memoir, Behind Blue Curtains, and is co-founder of Voices of Hope, an organization in the mid-west seeking to help "women to share their voices, to shed God’s grace on abuse, and bring them hope."

Interested persons must register at www.safecommunitiespa.org. Registrants will receive a Zoom link to the event. A recording will be available after the event for a limited time to registrants only.

There is no cost, but a donation to Safe Communities to support their ongoing work to prevent child sexual abuse is appreciated.

To learn more:

Safe Communities: www.safecommunitespa.org

Lizzie Hershberger: http://www.lifebehindbluecurtains.com/bio/

https://www.typeinvestigations.org/investigation/2020/01/14/amish-sexual...

Press Release Contact:

Andrea E. Stoner Leaman, Program Manager, Safe Communities, 313 W. Liberty St., Suite 242, Lancaster PA 17603 andrea@safecommunitiespa.org Office: 717-560-9989

Visuals:

2 photo options attached. One with event graphics, one without.

Photo Credits:

Left photo in image credit: Red Canvas

Right photo in image: Courtesy of Lizzie Hershberger