Divide and Conquer

In 2020, our founder, Steph Rosario, was scrolling through a marketing forum associated to a side business she’s part of and encountered the story of one of her fellow business associates. While it’s not entirely her story to tell, she was greatly impacted by this story. During COVID in 2020, Steph’s associate went to the emergency room because she wasn’t feeling well. Upon arrival she was informed by the hospital staff that her husband couldn’t join her. After hours of being alone and waiting for treatment, she was assaulted by her nurse. When she reported the incident, she agreed to have a sexual assault evidence kit done, having to surrender her clothes for evidence. In need of some extra clothes, the hospital didn’t have anything for her to change into other than what was in the lost and found-just imagine how Steph’s associate felt… Although Steph is certain this was not the hospital’s intent, it did identify a gap for the need of fresh undergarments and clothes for anyone choosing to undergo a sexual assault evidence kit.
Having read her associate’s story, Steph jumped to action in collaboration with a local insurance company, hosting three donation events in Sierra Vista, Arizona from 2020-2022, gathering undergarments and cash donations for Lori’s Place (Southern Arizona); otherwise, known as Cochise County Family Advocacy Center.
While hosting her most recent undergarment drive, Steph was encouraged by an Army colleague and friend, Anna Eickenbrock, to convert her efforts into a Nonprofit organization. After witnessing the support from her community over the course of two years and this new encouragement to walk in her purpose, Steph launched Divide and Conquer on 16 August 2023. Steph has been a credentialed military Victim Advocate since 2018 and wants to ensure no one ever feels like her associate did after reporting her assault and submitting her clothes for evidence. This effort is very important to Steph to ensure every hospital, clinic, and/or advocacy center is equipped with Care Kits for Survivors of sexual assault in hopes to immediately aide the healing process.