Department of Family Services – Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-5730 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Pennino Building, Floor 7, Suite 740
Fairfax, VA 22035
Keesha Coke
Director

Department Resources

Related Resources

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month – Community Denim Link Project

Translate this page into a different language.
Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline 703-360-7273; TTY 711
exit website button circle

  SAFETY ALERT – If you are in danger, call or text 911.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2026 Community Denim Link Project

Did you know that art is part of the movement to end sexual and domestic violence? Art and activism are linked, and creating art can be therapeutic for people who have experienced sexual violence.

For Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2026, Fairfax County Domestic and Sexual Violence Services is collecting denim links created by the community with the theme of “Until Everyone is Safe.” The finished link will be displayed in Fairfax County Public Libraries in 2026. 
 

 

Prompt

“Until Everyone is Safe, I will...” 

Use the thread, fabrics, markers, and embellishments available to create a depiction of what you pledge to make a safer world where everyone can live peacefully. There is no right or wrong way to create art, so feel free to use lines, shapes, colors, images and words! 

Hosting Your Own 2026 SAAM Denim Link Event 

  1. Get together with your organization, club, or just a few friends and talk about what “Until Everyone is Safe” means to you.
  2. Using the prompt and instructions below, create your denim link.
  3. Take photos and tag them with #UntilEveryoneisSafe and #SAAM2026.
  4. Send in your denim links to the address below by Friday, May 1, 2026.

        Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
        7611 Little River Turnpike, Suite W400 
        Annandale, VA 22003  

Instructions:

  • Fold a piece of 8 ½ inch-by 11-inch printer paper into thirds. The folded paper will make an approximately 3 inch-by 11-inch rectangle.
  • Using this rectangle as a guide, cut out a piece of 3 inch-by 11-inch recycled denim fabric. You can use an old pair of denim jeans or any other scrap denim you have.
  • Draw a line at the 1-inch and 10-inch marks on the fabric where the finished link will be connected.
  • Decorate the denim fabric in the space between the two lines. You can use whatever arts and crafts materials you have. 

Materials: 

  • Recycled denim
  • Scissors 

Optional materials: 

  • Ink pens, fabric paint, or markers
  • Glitter glue
  • Pins, buttons, feathers
  • Patches or colorful fabric
  • Sequins, beads, rhinestones, recycled jewelry
  • Stamps
  • Embroidery thread
  • Found objects 

Make the denim link by yourself or host a craft circle/party to make denim links with others in your community. 

Step One
Step Two
Step Three

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step Four
Step Five
Step Six

Would you like to join an existing event? Check out our calendar below! 

Elevating Sexual Violence Services Team
Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2026
3-4:30 p.m.

Commission for Women Women’s History Month Breakfast
Friday, Mar. 27, 2026
10-11:30 a.m.

Advocacy Services
Thursday, Apr. 9, 2026
Noon to 1 p.m.

Fort Belvoir Round Robin 
Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2026
10 a.m.-Noon

Teen Advocates
Wednesday, Apr. 22, 2026
6-8 p.m.

George Mason University Denim Day on Fairfax Campus
Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026 
1-3 p.m.
 

According to the American Art Therapy Association, “art therapy is a mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active artmaking, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship”.  

Words are not the only way we understand the world, and art therapy allows us to work with our brains to process our thoughts, feelings, the world around us! Art has been used to connect and communicate throughout the history of humanity and can be a form of self-care or a space to connect with others. 

In art therapy, art making is about the process, not the product. As long as safety of self and others is being honored, there is no right or wrong way to create art. Use lines, shapes, colors, image, words, etc. to express yourself! 

Learn more about Sexual Violence Awareness Month. 

Learn about the Department of Family Services' Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS).

Back to top

(return to Sexual Assault Awareness Month)

Close
Fairfax Virtual Assistant

Related Resources