Actress KaDee Strickland turned 36 years old yesterday, December 14th, and fans decided to pay tribute to her special day by making donations to RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) in her honor. Earlier this year, Strickland’s character, Dr. Charlotte King endured a brutal workplace rape. ‘Private Practice’ Creator Shonda Rhimes and Strickland teamed up with RAINN to ensure that her story and its aftermath was depicted with painstaking accuracy. The results earned Strickland a PRISM award last April and she has since become a strong advocate for RAINN. ‘Private Practice’/KaDee Strickland fans Natasha Hagan and Lexie Renee co-founded www.TeamStrick.org at the storyline's inception to honor Strickland’s work and bring further focus to the global problem of sexual assault. Their mission is to raise sexual assault awareness and spread hope to survivors. They suggested the birthday pledge to honor Strickland’s invaluable efforts to help survivors with her work as an actress and as a dedicated RAINN advocate. Hagan offered this exclusive statement:
‘We decided to donate to RAINN for KaDee Strickland’s birthday because with all her devoted efforts to helping RAINN not only has she helped survivors come forward but she has also given them hope. This is the least we can do for her.’
Renee added:
‘Sexual assault is a real issue. But somehow, some people accept that 'it happens' and some people want to move on or turn a blind eye to it. They don’t understand the gravity of it. KaDee’s work painted a very clear and real picture of it. She gave survivors a voice and hope, and we wanted to channel that, and pay it forward via TeamStrick.’
TeamStrick also has a twitter account, @TeamStrick. They have reportedly received several tweets from followers reporting donations of $36 for Strickland’s age and/or $14 for her birthdate of December 14th, as captured below:
‘@KaDeeStrick i just donated $14 to @RAINN01 as part of my bday gift to you with @teamstrick! #HappyBdayKaDeeStrickland’
Per RAINN’s website:
92 cents of every 1 dollar donated goes directly to helping victims and preventing sexual violence.
During Sexual Awareness Month in April, Strickland partnered with Gorjana jewelry to create the Hope Necklace. It is a small and delicate raindrop, on an 18 inch chain, with the word ‘hope’ inscribed across it. 80% of the sales price of the necklace goes to RAINN. TeamStrick members have purchased Hope necklaces and mailed them to survivors who have reached out to them via Twitter or their site as an emblem of hope.
They also partnered with New Zealand singer/songwriter, Chanelle Davis who wrote a Hope song, in tribute to survivors, called ‘You Set Me Free’.
WATCH A VIDEO HERE.
Davis said Charlotte’s story was ‘extremely inspiring’ and she was honored to write this song so that survivors or co-survivors may be able to relate to it or draw strength from it. She hopes to get the song officially published someday. The song/video link is currently displayed on TeamStrick’s website.
Marnie Goodfriend opened herself to Strickland and Rhimes as a story consultant who survived a traumatic attack herself. According to her blogsite, ‘Repaving Waverly’:
‘Activist, public speaker and artist Marnie Goodfriend has become a construction worker of sorts. For over a decade she’s given her voice, words, and counseling to several sexual assault and violence intervention programs. Just two months after Marnie and her roommate were sexually assaulted in their New York City apartment, she received two grants to fund a mixed media installation so people could “see” rape. Marnie found a mentor in RAINN’s former Executive Director, Debbie Andrews, who taught her how to use her voice to engage and inspire others. A photography graduate from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Marnie has donated photography and art work to several benefits and silent auctions across the country. In 2003, she became an on-call ER advocate for survivors of sexual assault for Mount Sinai’s Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) program. Today she has spoken to DA’s, doctors, detectives, social workers, advocates, survivors, high school and college students, produced fundraisers, and assisted with community healing and safety. She also co-produces public service announcements and consults TV and films with rape story lines.’
TeamStrick also pays tribute to Goodfriend via their website because she inspires so many as a survivor and her tireless advocacy for sexual assault awareness and education continues to help so many people.
Hagan emphasized that any donation, great or small can help survivors in a very big way. She said:
‘We need people to stay informed and we need people to support the hope and help that RAINN provides. KaDee and Shonda were so brave taking on the story and they did a beautiful job with it. TeamStrick would like to thank them both, on KaDee’s birthday and also thank Marnie Goodfriend who is a survivor and was an invaluable resource for KaDee during the telling of Charlotte’s story. If anyone makes a donation today, you could do so in honor of Marnie, or any survivor. Every dollar helps, give what you can, because whatever it is will truly make a difference and could literally go towards saving someone’s life and/or help someone get help that they desperately need.’
Click here to donate to RAINN.
Click here to view/purchase a RAINN Hope Necklace from Gorjana.
Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE or click here to find a RAINN Partner Crisis Center in your area.
‘Private Practice’ airs Thursdays at 10 PM EST on ABC.
