By Mike Sarzo

Sentinel Staff Writer

Even though April is winding down and it has been designated sexual assault awareness month, Maryland and Prince George's County are still keeping campaigns to fight sexual assaults in high gear throughout the state and the county.

Tucked away in a shopping center off Central Avenue in Landover, Adam's House is a place where men can go to receive physical and mental health treatments to deal with topics ranging from child support to sexual assault prevention, crisis intervention and anger management.

A visitor walking into the office for the first time would likely notice dark blue cushioned chairs lining the wall across from the reception desk. Behind the chairs on the wall are three paintings of African American men, while directly over the center painting is a sign that simply says "Adam's House." Between the chairs and the workstation for the receptionist is a table lined with six chairs with red cushioning.

One of the main thrusts of Adam's House is enlisting men to help prevent sexual assault in a similar fashion to a campaign called Men Can Stop Rape, which is based in Washington, D.C.

Solving problems

"If anyone in my mind could stop [rape], it is us," said Bill Hall, the program manager of Adam's House. "I personally think that 95 percent of the guys that come in here are angry, frustrated and can't articulate what they want and so they force people to do things."

Hall has been working at Adam's House since it moved into its current office space in 1999 after current Prince George's County Health Officer Donald Shell founded Adam's House in 1998. He has been working as a counselor since at least 1990.

Hall said he sees much of the anger from teenagers and young adults coming from "young adults and teenagers not being able to understand what they need to do." He also cited images portrayed in the media without role models providing guidance about the images portrayed.

"They see images of people treating women a certain way," he said. "They actually believe what they're seeing," saying that many of the people he sees don't have a male role model and are raised in single parent homes.

"A lot of times... the mom's taking care of the bills," Hall said. "If you don't have anybody there to put structure around these young men, you're going to have a problem."

Adam's House attempts to provide structure by giving its patrons one-on-one counseling and group therapy sessions. Its mission, according to a pamphlet handed out to prospective clients or interested parties, is "to promote healthy behaviors among adolescent and adult males by supporting positive values and working collaboratively with parents, churches, schools and community organizations."

Starting a campaign

According to the website rapenomore.com, the state's Rape and Sexual Assault Prevention Campaign officially kicked off last Oct. 19 at a press conference held in the Prince George's Hospital Center Pavilion. Saran Myers-Martin, a program coordinator of the state's rape and sexual assault prevention program said the location was chosen for one of three statewide kickoffs because the county's rape recovery center is located in Prince George's Hospital Center.

"They're very unique in that the crisis center is in the hospital," Myers-Martin said. She added that the hospital was "very amenable to using their space."

She said that in Maryland, one out of every eight women has been raped, citing a study done in 2003 called Rape in Maryland: A Report to the State.

"I definitely know it's an issue in the state as a whole," Myers-Martin said. She added that nationwide, most law enforcement and health professionals accept that anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of all rapes and sexual assaults go unreported.

She cited the importance of having "men as allies" in the fight against sexual assault.

"It's really important to let men see they can become part of the solution," she said.

'We get it all here'

Hall said that even though most rape prevention programs focus on female victims of men, he's counseled men who have been victims of sexual assaults by both men and women. He said he and peers in group sessions had to work to prevent the attitude of "well, what are you complaining about, you should be happy" he said he hears when men say they've been raped by a woman.

"We get it all here," Hall said. He said that even though he is often the only person many of his patients speak to about some of the problems they're going through, he doesn't have a particular technique that draws people out.

"I guess I have a gift," he said.

"I think it's a great program," Myers-Martin said.

Coming back to help

Mike Beasley, Sr. is into his fourth year attending programs at the Adam's House after receiving a court order regarding child support. Even though Hall said the program is designed to run from approximately Sept. 10 through June, right after Father's Day, Beasley said he keeps coming back for the support he's gotten.

"It changed my life," Beasley said. "I graduated out of this program three times. I know you're supposed to move on, but I keep coming back."

Beasley said the relationships he has with counselors at Adam's House keep him coming back.

"They're friends now, not just counselors."

Beasley said he drives trucks for a living, but added "I've been groomed to work here."

"I feel like it's my niche," he said. "I don't get paid to do it, but I keep coming back and doing it."

He added that he wanted to help future patients relate to his struggles and realize they could also overcome their problems.

"There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Beasley said. "I can point them to it."

Contact Mike Sarzo at

editor-pg@thesentinel.com or

pgsentinelmike@yahoo.com