New Jacksonville support group aims to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault
By Ben Cox
A new weekly support group for women affected by domestic violence and sexual assault will begin meeting July 13 in Jacksonville, with organizers hoping to fill what they see as a significant gap in survivor support services across West Central Illinois.
Voices of Strength, founded by Jacksonville and Murrayville native Alexa Brickey in partnership with Go Church, will meet Mondays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Go Church, 767 S. West St. in Jacksonville. Children are welcome, with a playroom available during meetings.
Brickey, now an on-air personality at WQLZ in Springfield, said the idea for the group grew directly from her own experiences as a survivor of domestic violence, aggravated battery and sexual assault. She is also in recovery from addiction and will celebrate two years of sobriety in September.
Jacksonville and Murrayville native Alexa Brickey has started a weekly support group for women affected by domestic violence and sexual assault.
“I don’t want another woman to ever feel like I felt,” Brickey said during a recent interview. “When I was going through everything, I wanted another survivor who had walked in my footsteps to tell me there was a way through.”
Brickey suffered severe facial injuries during an assault in September 2023, requiring emergency reconstructive surgery. She said she continues to live with the physical effects of the attack while navigating the emotional recovery that followed.
While she credits local organizations such as the Crisis Center Foundation for providing vital services, Brickey said survivors often need additional opportunities to connect with people who have lived through similar experiences.
“I’m not a therapist,” she said. “What I am is a survivor who’s been through some things. I want survivors to have a place where they can come together for support, encouragement and love.”
Each meeting will feature readings from books written by survivors, group discussions and themed conversations covering topics such as establishing boundaries, recovering from emotional abuse, codependency and parenting after abuse. Brickey said guest speakers and other educational programming are also planned.
Beyond peer support, Voices of Strength will include a resource table with information from community organizations serving survivors. Brickey said she hopes to partner with agencies and nonprofits throughout the region to provide information on counseling, addiction recovery, housing assistance, mental health services, churches, self-defense programs and other community resources.
“I want to pinpoint whatever a woman is struggling with and help connect her with the resources she needs,” she said. “Whether that’s recovery meetings, counseling, legal resources or just someone to talk to, we want to help.”
Brickey believes those connections are especially important in rural communities, where survivors may have fewer specialized services available than in larger metropolitan areas.
“We don’t really have a support group like this anywhere around here that I know of,” she said. “This is going to be a learning process, and we’re all going to be in it together.”
Go Church leaders John and Mandy Hutton embraced the idea after meeting with Brickey, providing meeting space and purchasing literature that will be used during the weekly sessions.
“They asked three questions,” Brickey said. “Does the community need it? Is there someone passionate enough to lead it? And is it something God would do? They believed the answer to all three was yes.”
Brickey said she hopes Voices of Strength eventually grows beyond weekly meetings into a broader network of assistance for women throughout the region.
“The bigger this gets, the more I want to immerse myself in helping people,” she said.
She also emphasized that no woman should feel she has to face abuse or its aftermath alone.
“My hope is that if someone is struggling or even going home to an abusive situation, they know they have a safe place every Monday,” Brickey said. “Courage grows when voices unite.”
Voices of Strength will hold its first meeting Monday, July 13, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Go Church, 767 S. West St. in Jacksonville. The meetings are free and open to women affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.
