Three-panel collage of a YWCA 2nd Annual Regional SART Awards event, showing a program on a dining table, Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Knott beside an event poster, and two people holding an award onstage.
St. Louis, Missouri | October 29, 2026 – YWCA Metro St. Louis, which provides essential services to sexual assault and domestic violence survivors in the St. Louis region, is honoring the individuals and organizations whose dedication, innovation, and compassion strengthen crisis response across the region.
At its Second Annual Regional St. Louis Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Awards today, YWCA honored four individuals and two organizations making positive differences in the lives of sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. The following awards, presented during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) and with the support of Kayla’s Survivors, included:
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- SART Volunteer of the Year – Jacquelyne Tyler
- SART Justice Partner of the Year – Lt. Thomas Muldrow, Commander, Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, & Domestic Violence, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
- SART Champion of the Year – Assistance League of St. Louis
- SART Healthcare Partner of the Year – Danielle Baumgartner of SANE Healthcare Services
- SART Ally of the Year – Schlafly Tap Room
- SART Impact Award – The Honorable Katherine M. Fowler, 22nd Judicial Circuit Court
“Every survivor who reaches out for help deserves a response that is fast, skilled, and compassionate, whether that call comes in the middle of the afternoon or the middle of the night,” said Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Knott, President and CEO of YWCA Metro St. Louis. “That response depends on an entire community: volunteers who show up at the hospital bedside, officers and judges who treat survivors with dignity, nurses trained to care for trauma, and neighbors and businesses who stand with us. This year’s honorees represent the very best of that partnership. We are deeply grateful for their work, and we are proud to recognize them as true community heroes.”
Unfortunately, survivors across the St. Louis region are seeking help in growing numbers. Consider these facts:
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- Through the first nine months of this year, YWCA’s help line has already received more calls than in all of 2025: 2,050 calls through September 2026, compared with 2,002 calls in all of 2025.
- Calls to the help line more than doubled in September 2026, with 322 calls compared with 142 in September 2025.
- When survivors decide to file a police report, they can ask to have an advocate accompany them. Through the first nine months of 2026, advocates have accompanied survivors 87 times, compared with 50 times in all of 2025.
SART strives for continuous improvement in its response to survivors. YWCA and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 2025 trained 250 officers who volunteered to learn best practices for responding to sexual assault and domestic violence calls. St. Louis now offers support services for jurors who may be impacted while serving on sexual assault and domestic violence cases. Most recently, the SLMPD has provided an online reporting option for survivors through its adoption of Ending Violence Against Women International’s Seek Then Speak reporting tool.
In 1986, YWCA established the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) to serve single parents, female heads of households, working women, and women at increased risk, such as teen mothers and abuse survivors. Three years later, the WRC implemented the Sexual Assault Response Team to provide 24-hour crisis intervention to survivors of sexual assault in area hospitals.
In 1994, a coalition of 20 service providers came together to extend and improve services for sexual assault survivors in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. Recognized for its leadership in supporting survivors and its SART expertise, YWCA was chosen to coordinate the development and implementation of a rape crisis center serving the greater St. Louis area. This collaborative effort aimed to create a comprehensive program that would meet community needs while being administered and supported by YWCA. Today, SART serves survivors of sexual and domestic violence. To date, thousands of survivors have received support and advocacy through the dedication, compassion, and innovation of YWCA staff, volunteers, and SART community partners.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault or domestic violence, call YWCA’s 24/7 Crisis Help Line at 314.531.7273.
ABOUT YWCA:
YWCA Metro St. Louis is a leading provider of services that promote safety, stability, and opportunity across the region, serving more than 10,000 individuals and families each year. YWCA Metro St. Louis is dedicated to empowering individuals, families, and survivors by facilitating a future where every person is safe, supported, and heard. Programs include crisis response and housing, early childhood education through Head Start and Early Head Start, and career readiness and supportive services for individuals and families.