It was volunteers who began the effort, and volunteers who sustain it to this day. In 1983, three women got together in response to the rape of a woman they knew who had nowhere to turn for support in getting her life back together.

Now, 23 years later, Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine (SASSMM) has seven staff members who handle over 1,000 hotline calls a year, and a board of directors who provide leadership for a number of different programs. The organization covers towns in eastern Cumberland County, plus all the towns in Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties.

As the new Outreach Coordinator, Jessica Parent has been making the rounds to town offices, businesses and public places to meet people, post flyers, and generally raise awareness of the services offered by SASSMM.

Her efforts are focused not only on providing information, but also on recruiting more volunteers, who make sure someone will answer the hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Volunteers who handle these calls are provided with extensive training - 46 hours, to be exact. They are available to answer questions on the phone from victims or their families, accompany victims to the police station and hospital, and provide information about support groups and other community services.

Although she is new to her position, Parent's involvement in helping rape victims began when she was a student at the University of Vermont, where she majored in social work.

"I met some people who had dealt with some form of sexual violence in their lives, but it wasn't something people really talked about at the time," she says. She became a volunteer at a local rape crisis center, where she learned the psychological reasons for sexual attacks.

"In a rape, sex is used as a weapon, rather than for the sex itself. The best explanation I've heard for this is, `If someone comes up and robs you with a knife, the knife is the weapon. It's the same with sexual assault - sex is the weapon.' "

"That's why volunteers are so critical to the organization," Parent says. "I can't tell you how much they are appreciated. They are there to listen, believe, and to support."

Recruiting volunteers from the business world is also part of Parent's task.

"I would love to have a company call me and say, `We have X number of volunteers who would like to give back to the community.' "

She plans to bring her message to senior centers, too.

"Seniors are the most likely to volunteer, because they have the time, and they make great volunteers because they have a lifetime of experiences to offer," she says.

In addition to the 206 victims of sexual assault who called the hotline in 2006, more than 800 other people, usually family members or friends of victims, sought support and information from the hotline. Not all the victims were women - 12 percent were men. Each trained volunteer commits to covering the hotline for 12 hours, three days a month.

Other roles that volunteers can play include fundraising, educating, and serving as a member of the Board of Directors or on committees.

In addition to the hotline, SASSMM offers support groups to survivors of sexual assault who may be dealing with feelings of shame, guilt or embarrassment. Staff members provide a safe environment where victims can share their experiences, discuss information and exchange resources. Participation in a support group helps diminish feelings of isolation and promote healing.

Of the 206 victims who called the hotline last year, 128 were 18 years or younger. That's why SASSMM has made a commitment to raise awareness in the schools. Last year the organization reached over 6,000 students, faculty and staff members in schools in the midcoast area. A drop in center is staffed at Brunswick High School and on call services are available at Medomak Valley High School, Hyde School, and Mt. Ararat.

In addition to getting the message out to schools, SASSMM reached over 2,600 people in the midcoast area last year, including those in law enforcement, medicine, and social service agencies. Nearly 500 professionals called the agency to learn more about the services provided.

The 24-hour, free and confidential hotline is 1-800-5999; TTY, 1-888-458-5599.

SASSMM has a website, which last year was visited by over 4,500 people. For more information about volunteer opportunities, or the services provided call Jessica at the organization's office in Brunswick, at 725-2181. The Web site is sass mm.org, and clientservices@sass mm.org. is the E-mail address.