HURLBURT FIELD, FL. -- Recently the Hurlburt Field Sexual Assault, Prevention and Response Team was awarded the Hurlburt Field 2024 Team Angel Award for outstanding volunteer service to the installation over a 12-month period.
Throughout 2024, the SAPR office supported the community by hosting fundraisers for United Way, Emerald Coast Victim Services and the Fort Walton Beach Shelter House and frequently participated in community events hosted by the base. These events and more helped the team stand out among other award nominees.
Eunice Welch, wife of former Air Force Chief of Staff retired Gen. Larry D. Welch, established the Angel Award in 1988.
By receiving this award, the SAPR team hopes to raise awareness of the vital role SAPR professionals play on and off base in building trust, fostering transparency and encouraging individuals to seek help when they need it most, according to Lisa Wright, the Hurlburt Field SAPR office's Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and Program Manager.
“We see people on their worst day,” Wright said. “I treat people like I would want someone to treat my child if it was their worst day. I would want someone to give them the compassion and empathy that we do here because it's hard, and that’s what makes this job so important to me.”
According to Wright, that perspective is the heart of the SAPR mission: meeting survivors with empathy and understanding in their most difficult moments, while also giving them a bridge to the help they need.
The rest of the team, described by Wright as “quiet professionals,” echo the same sentiment. According to Sierra Elliott, a Victim Advocate supporting the SAPR team, their work is designed to remove barriers to support without adding to the weight already carried by survivors.
“When we bridge survivors with resources in the community, it means that hopefully the person who needs help gets it,” Elliott said. The SARC continued to say that they see the recent award as more than recognition—it’s a symbol of the connection they’ve cultivated between team members and the victims who need it most.
Elliott believes that any win, no matter how small, is a win for the SAPR team and explained that the impact of trauma manifests differently in each individual, and the SAPR team values and celebrates every step in the healing process.
“I had a client once who, for over a year, couldn’t sleep in her own bed,” said Elliott. “She had to work through a lot with us and her therapist, and when she came in and said ‘I slept in my own bed’, the entire team cheered. It was something that was so personal to her, but seeing her so proud of herself, it was one of my favorite memories.”
The Angel Award pays tribute to the team’s unwavering dedication and serves as a reminder that SAPR's impact extends far beyond the walls of their office, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of Airmen, families and the broader community.
“What our clients go through is really hard, but people are so incredibly resilient,” said Elliott. “We'd like to highlight [the victims’] resiliency more because this is not your identity. You can move past this. This might be a large piece of your life, and it might take some time to get there, but you are capable. You are strong.”
All active-duty members, dependents over the age of 18 and DoD civilians are eligible for restricted and unrestricted reporting. If ineligible, the SAPR office can refer to the appropriate on-or-off base agency as the individual chooses. To contact the Hurlburt Field SAPR Hotline, call 850-884-7272, located at 424 Cody Avenue, Hurlburt Field, FL, or call 1-887-995-5247 to be connected with the Safe Helpline representative.