FOR ALUMNI
EVERYDAY LEADERS Alumna Creates Bedsheet Pantry for Sexual Assault Victims
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s a crime scene technician for the Kansas City Police Department, Marisa Smith ’11, was taught to look at each crime scene objectively, take photographs, collect evidence, and be on her way. But when it came to sexual assault crime scenes, Smith couldn’t help but think about the victim. “Even though I rarely interact directly with victims, my mind kept bringing me back to the human aspect of things, especially when it came time to take the victims’ sheets,” said Smith. “Seeing the stripped mattress seemed so cold and, frankly, retraumatizing.” Smith decided to do something about it – and her idea for a bedsheet pantry was born. “Owning a second set of sheets is a privilege,” said Smith. “New sheets provide a little bit of comfort to an otherwise awful situation. I wanted victims to know there was a caring community there to support them.” After running her idea up the KCPD chain of command, Smith got the green light. When the first call came in, Smith dashed to Target, bought sheets and a comforter, then drove to the victim’s home to drop it all off. “The victim actually answered the door and I was able to meet her and her daughter,” said Smith. “Honestly, if I never gave away another set of sheets after that it would it have been enough for me. I got to help, even in this small way.” From there, Smith asked for donations from coworkers, and KCPD put a callout in their newsletter. But her big break came when the KCPD media unit posted the story on social media.
Marisa Smith ’11
“New sheets provide a little bit of comfort to an otherwise awful situation. I wanted victims to know there was a caring community there to support them.” —Marisa Smith ’11
“People were asking how they could contribute, so I created an Amazon wish list,” she said. “A few days later, I got a text with a photo of a flatbed truck full of Amazon boxes at the station. I was in shock.” Truckloads of sheets kept coming for several weeks from all over the world. KCPD quickly ran out of storage space for the sheets, so they have started donating them to other police departments.
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