Katja Heinemann featured in People

Aurora Select photographer Katja Heinemann photographed survivor and activist Holly Dunn Pendleton for the June 29, 2009 issue of People magazine.

Pendelton survived a brutal attack when she was a student and has made it her mission to educate communities around the Midwest about the prevalence and dangers of sexual violence. To that end, she founded Holly’s House, a rape crisis center for women and children. Holly’s House provides a haven for women and children to come to and report the violence and rape that has affected their lives.  Taking sexual violence prevention and education outside of the police stations into a safe, non-threatening environment is a very basic concept, yet only very few of these types of centers exist around the country.  “I am hoping that getting this story out into a mass circulation magazine will inspire people to create similar initiatives in their own communities,” Katja said. “Working on these types of ‘every day hero’ stories is a great way to draw attention to the fact that individuals are making a difference in their communities by acting according to their passions and convictions.”