This month we are recognizing Mariska Hargitay as our activist of the month. She is most well known for playing Lieutenant Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Ms. Hargitay had acted before and was accustomed to receiving fan mail, however, the fan mail she received while working on SVU was different. She received letters thanking her for making survivors of sexual assault and abuse feel as though they had a voice again. Ms. Hargitay decided to educate herself on multiple forms of abuse such as child abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic violence so that she could figure out a way to truly help survivors of these abuses. She established The Joyful Heart Foundation. Their mission is to change the way society responds to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse and eventually end this violence forever. It is possible with hard work, heart, and persistence. The Joyful Heart recently started a campaign called End the Backlog, with the goal of ending the rape kit backlog. Ms. Hargitay also co-produced I Am Evidence, a documentary exploring the injustices sexual assault victims face after their assault. Thank you for your work Ms. Hargitay.