Taylor Swift donates to sex assault survivors organization
When a jury ruled on Monday that Taylor Swift had been assaulted by former DJ David Mueller, the singer thanked those who felt "silenced by sexual assault," and promised to help survivors in the near future. Just days after her legal victory, she has made an "extremely generous financial investment" in Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation.
"Taylor is aware of the Joyful Heart Foundation and follows our work," Maile M. Zambuto, CEO of the Joyful Heart Foundation, told the Huffington Post on Wednesday. "Her team got in touch with me and we talked a lot about her commitment, all along throughout this ordeal, to wanting to be of service to survivors."
Hargitay said in a statement, "I hope that Taylor's very public experience -- and her decision to speak out -- not only helps empower other victims to speak up and take action, but offers them solidarity."
Swift is friends with Hargitay, who founded the organization in 2004 to "heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse," according to its website.
After Swift's victory in court, she released a statement saying, "My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves."
The exact amount of Swift's donation has not been made public.
