OCALA, FL (352today.com) – It was an opportunity to stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors and victims, Denim Day is held the last Wednesday of every April.
And for Denim Day 2026 in Marion County, the Marion County Sexual Assault Center in concert with Mainstreet Community Bank held the Sip, Savor and Support Street Party, featuring, food, entertainment, a live and silent auction, with the proceeds from the fundraiser going directly to the critical programs and services of the Sexual Assault Center, so survivors and victims will have the resources they need.
However, on April 27, 2026, the Marion County Sexual Assault Center and Community Action Stops Abuse made a joint statement that a planned collaborative transitioning of domestic violence services will take place and go into effect in Marion County on June 30, 2026.
“I’m grateful for CASA coming into the community to get it going, but I do believe that with it being run local it will take it to a whole other level,” said City of Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano. “And I will tell you at the Ocala Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, the number one call for service is domestic violence. So, we have to have a place like this because it will save lives. I’m extremely excited that the community is behind this. It’s going to be great to have it run locally out of our community, and I know we’re going to save lives with it.”.
The fundraiser generated awareness and the importance of the finances that are needed to fund essential services that can affect anyone within the community. It’s a pervasive issue that affects not only the survivors and the victims, but their families. Nearly every minute someone in the nation is being sexually assaulted, and every nine minutes that someone is a child.
“The message I was trying to deliver to the group is that this community comes together like no other community that I’ve ever seen,” said Bill Gladson, State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “When there’s a need, there’s always a response. In this case the need was strong, and the response was even stronger. That’s what makes us unique. In some ways over the years, we failed our victims by not having adequate resources. When the community realized that we needed to make a change, we did it, and now we’re serving people with dignity and with honor with the way that they need to be served.”
The Sexual Assault Center is expanding its domestic violence services bringing these critical services back to Marion County, said Betsy Weber, Marion County Sexual Assault Center executive director.
“We’re just so thankful to the community who has supported us from the beginning up until now and when you see everyone outside,” said Weber. “This is our first fundraiser, and it’s incredible, and it was made possible because of the community support where everyone rallied behind such a difficult topic.”