2025-2026 AnnualSACE Impact Report
Who We Are
Our Mission
The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) exists to support people impacted by sexual violence, and to engage communities to promote respect and uphold a culture of consent.
2025-2026
Our Team
2023-2024
Our Team
As a charitable organization dedicated to addressing all forms of sexual violence and to promoting healthy communities:
- We provide professional, client-centred support to children, youth, and adults who have experienced sexual abuse or assault through crisis support, counselling, police and court support, psychoeducation, and advocacy.
- We deliver evidence-informed, tailored, and engaging multi-format education about sexual violence trauma, response, and prevention to supporters, communities, and professionals.
- We foster prevention of sexual violence through direct public education, awareness initiatives, collaboration, outreach, and advisory consultation with groups and agencies undertaking their own prevention efforts.
Organizational Chart
Land Acknowledgement
We would like to humbly and respectfully acknowledge we are gathered on Treaty 6 territory — the land spanning from the Athabasca River to the north, and the Red Deer River to the south — and Métis districts 9 + 10. More specifically, we are located in Ward O day’min, which is Anishinaabe for Strawberry or Heart-berry (the heart through which the North Saskatchewan River runs).
The land around the North Saskatchewan River has long been a home and gathering place for many nations including Blackfoot/Niitsítapi, Cree/Nehîyawak, Dene, Nakota Sioux, Salteaux, Métis, Iroquois, Inuit, and specifically the ancestral space of the Papaschase Cree. As we reflect on the land we’re on, we ask that everyone take a moment to consider how we want to engage in acts of reconciliation in good relation to the peoples of this land and the land itself.
Treaties are a part of a rich and long-standing tradition of establishing the framework of coexistence between peoples, guided by the foundational principles of respect and reciprocity. However, the treaty from which we benefit is one of many that were made in order to provide benefit to the Crown and to the newly confederated nation of Canada, without holding to the spirit of respectful kinship, betraying these principles. We acknowledge that it is our responsibility, as beneficiaries of Treaty 6, to learn the terms by which our ancestors agreed to co-exist, and to work to live out those treaty promises.
The act of reconciliation requires more from us than simply naming the lands on which we gather, and the peoples who have made their homes of those lands long before settlers and colonizers set foot on Turtle Island. There are a number of ways in which we can each make these acknowledgements, privately or publicly, in a way that is intentional rather than a matter of recitation. One way is to research the traditional names of the lands that surround us, and familiarize ourselves with their meaning and history. For instance, the area where we’re located is called amiskwaciywâskahikan (UH-MIH-SKWA-CHEE WAH-SKY-GHAN) in nehîyawak/Cree (also known now as Edmonton).
2025-2026 ReflectionsFrom Our Co-CEOs
This has been a year of significant challenge, bittersweet transition, and renewed opportunity for SACE. It tested our resilience as an organization, while also reaffirming the importance of our mission and the strength of the community that surrounds and supports it.
Spring 2025 began with a period of uncertainty as unexpected funding changes required us to make difficult decisions. Layoffs and the inability to backfill positions affected every aspect of our work and, for the first time ever, we were forced to temporarily pause our counselling waitlist. The impact of these changes was felt deeply by our staff, volunteers, community partners, and, most importantly, the survivors who rely on specialized sexual assault services. Throughout this period, our team remained focused on preserving core services and continuing to advocate for the resources necessary to meet the growing needs of our community.
Amid these challenges, June 2025 marked a historic milestone as SACE celebrated its 50th anniversary. Reaching this anniversary provided an important opportunity to pause, celebrate our accomplishments, and recognize the extraordinary impact SACE has had over the past five decades.
SACE was founded in 1975 as a grassroots organization operating a volunteer-run crisis line. What began as a community response to an urgent need has evolved into a full-service organization providing education, support, and advocacy to thousands of Albertans each year. For fifty years, survivors, staff, volunteers, community leaders, and advocates have worked together to challenge stigma, improve systems, and build a more informed and compassionate response to sexual violence. Our anniversary served as a powerful reminder that lasting change is possible when communities come together around a shared purpose.
The close of 2025 also marked the end of an important chapter in our agency’s history with the retirement of our long-serving CEO, Mary Jane James. Mary Jane’s leadership helped shape the organization we know today. Through periods of growth, innovation, and change, she remained deeply committed to survivors and to strengthening sexual assault services in our community. On behalf of the organization, we extend our sincere gratitude for her years of service and her lasting contributions to SACE and the broader movement to end sexual violence.
Following Mary Jane’s retirement, the Board of Directors made the strategic decision to adopt a co-leadership model. We are honoured to step into the roles of Co-CEOs and to steward the organization into its next chapter. We do so with humility, excitement, and a deep respect for the legacy we inherit. Together, we are committed to fostering a collaborative, sustainable, and future-focused organization that remains responsive to the evolving needs of survivors and our community.
The challenges of this past year have underscored both the necessity of our work and the collective responsibility we share in ending sexual violence. We are continually inspired by the courage of survivors, the dedication of our staff and volunteers, the governance of our Board of Directors, and the commitment of our funders and community partners. Their support allows SACE to continue adapting, growing, and serving those who need us most.
With gratitude for everyone who has contributed to our journey, and with confidence in the strength of our mission, we enter our next 50 years with renewed purpose and determination. Together, we will continue working toward a safer future where all people can live free from sexual violence.
Rachel Grehan and Lena Betker
Co-CEOs
Highlights of Our Year 2025-2026
In June 2025, SACE celebrated fifty years of service. To recognize this milestone, SACE hosted a staff gathering to honour five decades of advocacy, specialized counselling, education, and prevention work. This milestone provided an opportunity to reflect on our collective impact as an agency, the lives we have touched, and the resilience we have helped foster in individuals and communities across Edmonton and beyond. This time also provided an opportunity to deepen our connections across departments and generations of staff.
For half a century, SACE has been a trusted source of healing and hope for those affected by sexual violence. While it is hoped that one day organizations like SACE will no longer be necessary, there is no doubt that, should the need remain, our deeply caring and committed group of staff and volunteers will continue to carry this mission forward, never wavering in our dedication to supporting survivors and preventing sexual violence, just as SACE has done for the past fifty years.
Investing in the holistic wellbeing of the individual and our community as a whole
Mental health so often becomes the expense that gets de-prioritized when budgets are tight.
The cost of private mental health services can place specialized trauma counselling out of reach for many survivors. Instead of asking survivors to choose between counselling and groceries, childcare, transportation, or housing, we provide specialized trauma counselling at no cost to the client. This is not simply a financial benefit; it is an investment in the stability, dignity, and long-term well-being of the community members we serve.
Money kept within the community and in survivor's pockets
According to the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, as of January 2026 the recommended fee schedule is $235 for an individual counselling session. This means a 15-session course of treatment could cost $3,500, an overwhelming expense for an individual or family already navigating the impacts of trauma in the context of an affordability crisis. SACE removes that barrier.
At SACE, we’re working hard to address sexual violence where it’s most common.
From nightlife and dating to our city streets, entertainment venues, and schools, through to medical and justice professionals, we’re training individuals and organizations to better equip them with the tools they need to prevent and respond to sexual violence. We need your help to make sure that we can continue to meet the growing and evolving demand for our essential services.
Thank You to Our
Core Funders
