SESLOC Spotlight: Lumina Alliance

SESLOC Spotlight highlights local organizations that make the Central Coast the best place to live.

Today we’re shining the spotlight on the Lumina Alliance, a merger of RISE and Stand Strong — San Luis Obispo County’s two most trusted organizations dedicated to ending sexual and intimate partner violence. Stacy Salame, Director of Communications & Events, shares how the organization supports our community:

Lumina Alliance

Industry: Nonprofit

Serving the Central Coast since: the mid-1970’s

How many employees? 70

How many volunteers? 12 Event Volunteers, 26 Crisis Line Volunteers, 2 Interns. We are honored to have the support of our volunteers and interns. Their contribution of time is critical to the success of our organization, and we could not serve as many clients as we do every year without their dedication and support.

What’s your mission? Our mission is to empower those impacted by sexual and intimate partner violence through innovative advocacy, healing, and prevention programs.

What’s unique about the Lumina Alliance? Lumina Alliance is the result of a merger in July of 2021 between two long-serving, local organizations, RISE and Stand Strong. Due to the merger, we are now one agency serving survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence throughout San Luis Obispo County. The merger has allowed us to streamline our services and offer a more trauma-informed process for survivors, while also reducing confusion for local partner agencies and supporters. We offer a wide range of services including a 24-Hour Crisis & Information Line, Advocacy, Restraining Order Support, Legal Services, Emergency and Transitional Housing, Therapy, and Prevention Education.

What do you attribute to your success? We attribute our success to the passion and dedication of our staff! They are committed to supporting clients through our empowerment-based model, where we focus on providing survivors the resources and tools they need to heal from trauma and transform their lives.

What advice would you give someone interested in giving back to the community? If you are interested in supporting Lumina Alliance, there are several ways to get involved. It is due to the generosity of our supporters that we are able to offer our services at no cost to survivors. We encourage you to donate online at LuminaAlliance.org to support our work in the community.

We also offer a 24-Hour Crisis & Information Line, which is staffed in part by volunteers. This 24/7 hotline has been a resource for this community for decades and makes available immediate support for those who have experienced gender-based violence. We invite those interested in supporting our crisis line to sign up to attend our next 65-hour training to become a state-certified crisis counselor.

If you have a skill for fundraising, we also have an event planning committee that could use your enthusiasm and talents. You can meet with like-minded supporters from our community and help us bring our spring and fall events to life. Please reach out to contact@luminaalliance.org to learn more about these volunteer opportunities.