DECATUR — Every day, the staff at Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services strives to empower survivors of sexual assault and abuse and fill them with hope. The survivors deserve to feel beautiful and bold; strong and secure.

One of the most public ways that DASAS is able to do this is through its annual Survivor Stomp: a walk and a run designed to raise donations and awareness for victims of sexual assault and abuse.

“In our society, it’s really hidden, shameful thing — sexual abuse and sexual assault,” said Kim Kramer, the executive director of DASAS. “So we continue to bring it out in the open visibly and boldly to support survivors. We want to be able to continue offering our services free of charge. We serve over 500 people each year and receive over 1,000 crisis calls each year. We have counseling, therapy, support groups, safe shelter and 24-hour response. We do education in the schools. We want to continue breaking the cycle and bringing awareness.”

The third annual Survivor Stomp will take place on April 28 at Fred Russ Forest Park, located at 20379 Marcellus Highway in Decatur. The event includes both a 5K run and a 1.4-mile walk.

Registration for both events is open online but walk-ins are welcome. On the day of the event, registration will begin at 8 a.m., with both the walk and the run beginning at 9 a.m. Both will start and finish at the same spot but will have separate paths.

“It is held in April because it’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” Kramer said. “We like events that can signify support for survivors, but also this is one of our major fundraisers that we do each year. Last year, we had almost 70 people participate, so we’re hoping to get close to 100 this year.”

It costs $25 to register for the run and there is no cost to participate in the walk. However, all participants are asked to seek donations from friends, family members and co-workers. This is not required, but anyone who donates or raises $25 will receive a T-shirt. However, Kramer says that the most important thing is that people come out and show that they stand behind the cause.

“We really want them to come out and give their visible support,” she said. “We have survivors that come as well, and I’ve [heard them] talk about how encouraging it is to see people come out and not be scared visibly to participate in an event that stands against sexual assault. So the walkers, many of them will gather pledges. This year we have a goal of raising $8,000. Last year we raised close to $5000.”

Participants are also allowed to bring their dogs on the walk. While Kramer said having dogs at the event contributes to the enjoyment, there is a much more significant purpose for encouraging people to bring them.

“The reason they do that is a lot of abusers will use pets, and in particular dogs, as another form of power and control over victims,” Kim said. “Often you’ll see that victims won’t leave because they can’t safely take their pets to a shelter. …They often stay because they can’t bear to leave their pets.”

For more information or to register for the event, visit dasasmi.org/events.