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“I’ve just been raped!” a 14 year old girl cried hysterically to a New Hope phone counselor. “It was awful! I don’t know what to do…. I was walking home from school and he just grabbed me. He pulled me behind the bushes and started taking my clothes off. Oh, I can’t even believe this happened….”

Lauren (not her real name) cried and cried. Gene, a New Hope volunteer listened as she sobbed, “I don’t want my Mom to find out! I’ll be in big trouble. Nobody can know about this….. I’m a bad person. I feel so dirty. What am I going to do?”

Gene tried to soothe her, “I’m so sorry this happened. You’ve been violated in the worst way. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But I can’t let my Mom know about this. I can’t let her find out! She’ll be so angry when she comes home from work.”

“Lauren, is there someone you do feel safe talking to about this? Have you called the police?”

“No, they’ll blame me! No!” she exclaimed and hung up. Barely 10 minutes into the conversation Gene was left helpless and worried. He and another New Hope counselor went into prayer.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was just a few minutes, she called back! But she had cut herself on her wrists and ankles. The gashes were deep! Blood was pouring out. She sobbed hysterically over and over, “I just want to die! I just want to die!”

Gene immediately started an emergency trace while instructing Lauren to wrap cloths around her wrists and ankles. Blood was still coming out though. Gene kept her on the phone, still listening and trying to comfort her, “You just want the pain to stop. It will. You’re going to be okay.”

Twenty minutes later, two police officers were tapping on Lauren’s window. She hung up in anger. But Gene and his assistant had done their job. Lauren’s life had been bleeding away and she needed to be hospitalized immediately.

Gene was relieved thirty minutes later when he got a call from the emergency traceback officer saying that Lauren had made it to the hospital in time. New Hope had saved another life! Lauren had made it through the crisis. She was safe and she was going to get help recovering from her terrible trauma.

Thirty years ago this September 15th, after anguishing over the suicide of a woman who had attended their church, Dr. and Mrs. Schuller began the New Hope Crisis Hotline. From that day on there has been a trained, caring New Hope volunteer sitting beside a phone 24 hours a day to answer calls like Lauren’s. After hearing Lauren’s story, Dr. Schuller was moved to tears and exclaimed, “If this girl was the only person New Hope had helped in it’s thirty years our mission would have been a success! Every dollar we’ve invested, every hour we’ve given was worth saving Lauren’s life.”

Though all the stories aren’t as gut-wrenching and dramatic as Lauren’s, New Hope helps 140 people a day, every day, and one of those people calling for help is suicidal, perhaps making one last call for help.

You too can make a difference by volunteering for New Hope. We have training classes July 29 - August 19 and again September 19 - 26. Call (714) 971-4123 for details!