The University of New Mexico announced the launch of the Nurture and Thrive (NAT) Fund for late student Natalie Jude through its Women's Resource Center (WRC). The fund aims to offer unwavering support and emergency financial assistance to student survivors facing intimate partner violence, student assault, gender-based harassment, and stalking on Nov 15th.
The WRC raised over $1,000 through its inaugural fundraising event, designated for scholarships. The UNM Annual Security & Fire Safety Report showed approximately 50 incidents of violence against women on campus. McCarthy worked with the WRC to improve campus safety through proactive measures, according to a press release by UNM.
"If someone gave me a highlight reel of the time I would have with them, including their passing, and they told me that’s all the time I’d have— that one day, Natalie would be gone… I’d be disappointed at how fleeting it all would be, but I’d still ride that ride," said friend and University Communication & Marketing (UCAM) student employee Trin Moody in a press release by UNM.
"We’re talking about this now because hopefully it can help someone else. Trin brought Natalie here to get advocacy support for an abusive relationship, and that was ultimately related to their death. We don't have all the facts, but it felt like their death was directly a result of being in an abusive situation that was escalating," said WRC Director Áine McCarthy in a press release by UNM.
The newly established Nurture and Thrive Fund is a crucial resource for UNM students dealing with violent threats to their well-being. The UNM WRC encounters students daily who could benefit from this assistance since even a small financial contribution can significantly enhance the safety of violence survivors while keeping them on track to graduation according to the UNM Women's Resource Center website provided by UNM.
