The Rape Crisis Center (RCC) began in Summit County in 1974 as a volunteer program. From 1976 to 1980, it grew to a staff of four full-time employees housed by the Summit County YWCA. Similarly, in 1986, local women interested in the issue of sexual assault started the volunteer-based Rape Crisis Center of Medina County.
In 2005, the YWCA closed its doors, and The Battered Women's Shelter (BWS) of Summit and Medina Counties secured funding to operate the Rape Crisis Centers of both Medina and summit Counties. The first two years of the partnership (2005-2007) focused on maintaining the services and programs previously provided by both rape crisis centers. Using BWS operating dollars and the remaining funding from the YWCA, the RCC began to grow. It was then the Rape Crisis Center established its own identity, securing funding and 5013c status, incorporating with a separate Board of Trustees and appointing a new Program Director. By combining the RCC direct services staff with the backroom support provided by the BWS, the agency stabilized, developing all necessary policies and procedures, marketing plans, and service gap analysis.
In 2007, after establishing a confident organizational structure within the agency, it was important the community was made aware of the newly enhanced Rape Crisis Center. As word spread through outreach presentations and requests for services, it became apparent that gaps in services were evident throughout both Medina and Summit Counties. In response, the Rape Crisis Center established additional programs over the next two years to ensure sexual assault victims had access to a holistic array of free services within their own community.
