Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and contains mentions of suicide.
Ciera Blehm would’ve been a terrible doctor. This is clear as she recounts her experience taking anatomy and physiology in high school, when she nearly passed out due to the smells and fumes. “The theme of what I always wanted to be when I grew up was someone who had an impact,” she tells Her Campus. “But after that, I thought, ‘I’ll save more lives by not becoming a doctor than being one.’”
Fast-forward a few years, and she was correct. Now in 2024, Blehm, 28, is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Survivor Fund Hub, one of the first confidential and trauma-informed funds in the country that works to provide financial compensation to college students who have experienced sexual assault. So while she may not be performing life-saving surgeries, she’s helping to lead a cause that saves lives in a different, but still profoundly impactful, way.
The seed for this idea was planted back in 2016, when Blehm was a freshman at the University of Denver. As a member of the school’s student government organization, she learned about the Red Zone — the period of time in the first four months of college when more than half of sexual assaults on campuses occur, and first-year students are especially vulnerable — as well as various incidents of assault that had already occurred on her campus mere weeks into the semester.
“I started to see and understand the significant gap in how our university was addressing assaults,” Blehm says. “Students were falling through the cracks: Some of my peers dropped out within five or six weeks of coming to school following an assault, and others struggled significantly because they didn’t seek help.”
Whether they came from affluent backgrounds or were struggling financially, the need for cash was universal because shame was often associated with having to tell a parent, or a guardian, or another source about the assault before being able to talk to a trained professional.
In 2016, Blehm and her friend, Olivia Storz, had a peer come to them saying that they could no longer afford a textbook because they had to pay for an Uber to go to the hospital to get a SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) exam, which cost $105. The university did not reimburse the student, but said they would offer taxi vouchers in the future for students in similar situations — they would just have to report their assault to the university first.
“I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen a yellow cab in Denver,” Blehm says. “So we felt a rage start to simmer of ‘How can support be so misaligned with what students actually need?’” And with that, Blehm and Storz founded the University of Denver’s CAPE Survivor Fund — which provides sexual assault survivors at the Univeristy of Denver with direct cash assistance.
Then in 2022, three years after graduating, Blehm and Storz expanded the fund outside of the university structure and into the non-profit space, creating the Survivor Fund Hub. “We discovered that what most students needed was access to money without having to disclose their assault,” Blehm tells Her Campus. “Whether they came from affluent backgrounds or were struggling financially, the need for cash was universal because shame was often associated with having to tell a parent, or a guardian, or another source about the assault before being able to talk to a trained professional.”
The Survivor Fund Hub works like this: College students who have experienced sexual assault can apply for financial assistance on the fund’s website. From there, the team at the Survivor Fund Hub will review the application and work with the student to find what form of compensation works best for them, whether it be cash, CashApp, a check, or even a digital gift card — since some students, unfortunately, have perpetrators that have access to their bank accounts. To date, The Survivor Fund, in combination with the University of Denver’s CAPE Survivor Fund, has distributed more than $21,000 to survivors of sexual violence since 2017.
We believe that if a student experiences sexual violence and they’re reaching out asking for access to therapy and financial care, how are we supporting them through that without forcing them to report it or forcing us to validate it?
The Survivor Fund Hub’s mission is to do more than help survivors navigate their trauma through financial assistance; it’s also to empower college students to stay in college and pursue their goals after their assault. According to the Know Your IX 2021 Report, 39% of surveyed students said they were forced to take a leave of absence from school, transfer to a new school, or drop out of school altogether after experiencing sexual violence. And, according to RAINN, 33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide, and 13% of women who are raped attempt suicide.
“Sexual violence can derail a student’s life, leading to emotional trauma, academic setbacks, and financial strain,” Blehm says. “They face a harsh reality where they must choose between seeking help and staying in school — and this choice should never have to be made. We believe that college survivors of power-based sexual violence deserve access to healing, financial care; the opportunity to continue learning, and the capacity to find their own version of joy.”
Taking The Survivor Fund Hub into the non-profit space hasn’t been an easy task, however. Since the fund doesn’t require survivors to disclose the ins and outs of their assault, critics have pushed back against the fund with a phrase that many, unfortunately, know all too well: Well, what if they’re lying?
“My answer has always been, at most, if someone may not be [telling the truth], there’s clearly a broader question about how we’re still supporting survivors,” Blehm says. “We believe that if a student experiences sexual violence and they’re reaching out asking for access to therapy and financial care, how are we supporting them through that without forcing them to report it or forcing us to validate it?”
For her work with The Survivor Fund Hub, Blehm was selected as a part of the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative Fellowship. Alongside 25 emerging leaders and entrepreneurs, Blehm was granted access to resources and guidance to develop Commitments of Action through projects that advance solutions to critical challenges.
Use what you have and do what you can because it’s the small, consistent efforts that I truly believe can lead to monumental transformations.
This isn’t Blehm’s first time working with the Clinton Foundation. In 2017, Blehm was also a part of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) meeting at Northeastern University. “Being a fellow has been almost like a full circle experience for me because, as we were starting Survivor Fund Hub and I was diving into my nonprofit full-time, it was around the time that the fellowship launched the inaugural cohort,” Blehm says. “So I applied thinking, ‘I was a little baby starting this fund and attending CGIU, so what if I could be a part of this fellowship as I’m moving into this next phase?’ Getting accepted felt like the universe aligned, and it’s propelling me in the direction that I’m meant to be going with the work that I’m doing.”
The rest of 2024, and into 2025, are shaping up to be big for Blehm. Her podcast, Centering The Survivor, is slated to come out in September 2024 and the Survivor Fund Hub is looking to launch some exciting campaigns to provide more financial assistance than ever before. So while being a doctor wasn’t in the cards for Blehm, it’s safe to say that she’s truly stepping into her purpose — because, after all, you don’t need a white coat and a stethoscope to make an impact.
“If I could look at myself when I was 18, getting ready to start this [fund], something that I could have written on a sticky note and stuck on my mirror or put as my screensaver on my phone, probably would’ve been ‘Remember that your voice and actions have the power to create ripples of change,’” Blehm says. “I think far too often, we want [change] to be instantaneous. And it may not be. Seven years later, it’s happening to me. Use what you have and do what you can because it’s the small, consistent efforts that I truly believe can lead to monumental transformations.”
For college students looking to get involved in the Survivor Fund Hub, bring the fund to their campus, fundraise, or help in any way, reach out to hello@survivorfundhub.com or follow their social media pages.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org.