( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) The Long Island Nonprofit Turns Awareness Into Impact
ECLI-VIBES is shedding light on the harsh realities of sexual violence and putting immense efforts toward healing and prevention. Considering the sobering fact that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will experience sexual violence in their lifetime, there needs to be accessible education, resources, and compassionate survivor support. ECLI-VIBES is a Long Island-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and abuse. This nonprofit ensures that each issue of abuse and sexual violence is actively addressed.
Through Jennifer Hernandez, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ECLI-VIBES, they offer community education efforts to prevent sexual assault and support survivors. Recently, on April 10th, they expanded their reach at the New York Islanders game as the 50/50 raffle nonprofit. ECLI-VIBES has empowered survivors by providing critical resources, legal advocacy, and trauma-informed support. Navigating this journey alone can be overwhelming and challenging, but this nonprofit guides you in the right direction and provides a sense of safety.
Could you elaborate on how the pillars of education, legal advocacy, and trauma-informed support work together to ensure every survivor’s healing journey is powerful?
At ECLI-VIBES, we take a unique approach to supporting survivors. We don’t define a survivor’s healing journey by any single service; we view it as a profoundly personal and courageous process of self-discovery and growth. Every individual who reaches out to us is in the middle of their own heroic story. Some arrive in crisis, others in quiet desperation. Many don’t yet see themselves as survivors.
However, what they all carry is strength; it may be buried under the weight of what they’ve endured. Our role is to meet each survivor exactly where they are, offering layered, personalized support that honors their voice and choices. Survivors move through our programs at their own pace, choosing what feels safe and manageable at each moment. Wherever they start, we walk with them, adapting, listening, and offering support that honors their timing and choices.
Education is present in every step, whether it’s understanding how trauma affects the brain, learning how to navigate the legal system, identifying healthy relationships, or managing finances after abuse. It equips survivors with knowledge that builds confidence and creates options. Legal advocacy offers protection, restores stability, and helps open pathways forward, but it’s one part of a much broader framework. Trauma-informed care is the thread that connects it all, shaping how we listen, respond, and build trust.
The New York Islanders game offered a high-profile platform for ECLI-VIBES. What was the most valuable aspect of that partnership, and how do you plan to leverage the increased visibility and awareness gained?
Visibility is one of our most powerful tools because seeing a message of hope at a New York Islander’s game might be the moment they realize they are not alone. This partnership gave us a platform to remind thousands of people that healing is possible, support is available, and resilience exists in every community.
The most valuable part of that night was the opportunity to stand with survivors loudly, visibly, and without shame. If anyone in the crowd needed support, they left knowing where to call. And even if they weren’t ready to reach out, perhaps they walked away with a small flicker of hope. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to begin.
What long-term changes do you envision for society that would significantly reduce the prevalence of sexual violence and better support survivors?
Reducing the prevalence of sexual violence requires more than better responses; it requires a cultural shift. We envision a society where prevention is prioritized, healing is accessible, and survivors are at the center of every system that touches their lives. This means starting early, teaching consent, emotional regulation, and healthy relationship skills in schools while also equipping parents, teachers, coaches, and peers with the tools to recognize and respond to harm in real-time. It also means designing systems that don’t retraumatize people seeking help. Survivors shouldn’t have to prove their pain or navigate impossible choices to access safety.
At ECLI-VIBES, we are committed to long-term, systemic change. One way we achieve this is by investing in community education, partnering with healthcare and justice systems, and utilizing survivor stories to shift the narrative. A key component of this work is our Survivor Advisory Boards. These boards play a critical role, helping us design effective programming, inform advocacy efforts, and hold systems accountable to the people they’re meant to serve.
Their input and leadership are invaluable to our mission of creating a more compassionate and supportive society for survivors. We’ve seen real progress in our work addressing human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, not by calling out broken systems from the outside but by building relationships with the right people on the inside.
What types of events have you organized that provided support and raised awareness?
Creating community is a commitment, and it’s something we actively build every single day. Our regular visits to libraries, schools, colleges, and chambers of commerce to share resources and spark conversations, ensuring that people know they’re never alone. Our Wellness Wednesdays provide survivors and community members with opportunities to practice real-life tools through yoga, bingo nights, meaningful conversations, and moments of joy. We’re also planning a graduation celebration for youth in our programs whose families may not be able to host one. These young people deserve recognition with pride and love.
Our Easter Basket Giveaway was a powerful example of community in action; hundreds of families came together to collect baskets, savor food, enjoy face painting, interact with animals, and participate in a planting project that represented hope and renewal. The event was made possible through the generosity of local schools, elected officials, business partners, and individual supporters.
We are also proud of our strong partnership with the faith-based community, including a recent event with local church leaders generously sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Commack, NY. These gatherings foster meaningful dialogue between spiritual leaders and victim service providers, fostering trust and alignment so that survivors feel supported throughout the entire community. Our quarterly Connections & Cocktails events are designed to bring together local business owners, law enforcement, and community leaders. During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we welcomed over 25 businesses to learn how to support their employees, connect with our services, and meet leaders, including the head of Suffolk County’s Special Victims Unit.
Please explain in detail the blogs in the Empowerment Toolbox and how they impact and offer essential information.
The Empowerment Toolbox, a vital component of our mission, offers survivors, families, and community members clear, compassionate, and easily accessible information at every stage of their journey. Hosted on our user-friendly website, it acts as a 24/7 resource where individuals can learn, reflect, and take action, even if they’re not yet ready to call or visit us in person. Each blog post is meticulously crafted with a practical purpose in mind, covering a wide range of topics. These topics include creating a safety plan to recognize signs of abuse.
Our posts also delve into emotional support, such as managing trauma responses, setting healthy boundaries, and rebuilding after harm. We write in a trauma-informed, approachable manner, always rooted in the real experiences of those we serve. Our goal is to equip, educate, and support.
Looking ahead, we’re committed to expanding the Toolbox to include even more resources, such as multilingual content, interactive tools, and in-depth guidance on legal topics, including understanding court processes and pursuing orders of protection. We’re also exploring ways to create survivor-led video content and virtual support experiences. This is the direction we’re growing: thoughtful, trauma-informed digital outreach that extends beyond our local footprint.
Please share with us the resources used to offer safety and support, and what actions are being taken to address those who have been through some form of assault and violence.
At ECLI-VIBES, we’ve built a comprehensive care ecosystem for survivors, addressing their emotional, physical, and practical needs as they seek safety, healing, and stability. Survivors can connect with us through our 24/7 Hopeline, during hospital visits with our SAFE team, at court with legal advocates, or through our food pantry, all of which are designed to offer support with dignity.
Our range of services includes crisis intervention, trauma-informed counseling, legal representation, housing support, and case management, all coordinated through our Pathways program, which is tailored to meet individual needs and goals. We begin with a trauma-informed intake to understand the survivor’s urgent needs and layer services thoughtfully around them.
We collaborate with local hospitals, law enforcement, schools, and community agencies to ensure a coordinated response to sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and human trafficking, so survivors receive comprehensive support without falling through the cracks. Additionally, we offer specialized programs for youth, justice-involved individuals, and families affected by substance use, promoting community through support groups and events.
The initiatives undertaken by ECLI-VIBES illustrate the impact of dedicated advocacy and support. By combining public outreach, such as their presence at the New York Islanders game, with targeted, trauma-informed resources for survivors, they are actively transforming awareness into meaningful change. Jennifer Hernandez and her team at ECLI-VIBES are not just highlighting a problem; they are building a community of resilience. Collective action is essential in the ongoing fight to end sexual violence and ensure that no one faces their healing journey alone. For more information, follow them on Instagram or visit https://eclivibes.org/. Visit their events page and check out their blog for important information regarding sexual violence and assault awareness.
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