Retired Tyler police officer Larry Christian hugs Jessica Howell as he receives a Hope Award during the Hope Awards hosted by the East Texas Crisis Center at the Tyler Public Library in Tyler, Texas, on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The Hope Awards are held twice a year; once during Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month in April, and once during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. (Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

The East Texas Crisis Center honored its annual Hope Award recipients Thursday. 

The awards ceremony pays tribute to local residents for their help with victims of sexual violence.

To open the ceremony, District 5 City Councilman Bob Westbrook read a declaration from Mayor Martin Heines declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Tyler. 

Keynote speaker Samantha Dwight, health education specialist at UT Tyler, spoke about her role at the university and her work to promote healthy relationships and empowerment.

“It’s time to be proactive,” she said. “It’s time to be intentional and teach people to have healthy relationships. It’s time to expect transparency and accountability from institutions we affiliate with or are subjected to.”

She also spoke about the #MeToo movement and how it has brought attention to those who are speaking up against the violators, not those who have been violated.  

Those awarded for their work with the crisis center included Dr. Ernest Cook, a local optometrist who offered free eye exams to survivors receiving care at the East Texas Crisis Center. 

Retired Tyler Police Department patrol officer Larry Christian was honored for his work helping victims get care and services from the center. 

Athena Popchok, of Tyler, was awarded a Hope Award for her work as a volunteer advocate. 

Jon Stoble, another victim advocate, was described as the “go-to person” when a calming voice and empathetic ear is needed at the hospital in the middle of the night. 

The East Texas Crisis Center assisted 331 survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in 2017.  

The semiannual Hope Awards seek to recognize those who go above and beyond in working with the Crisis Center to support its mission.