a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization serving Summit County, Ohio
Fifty & Flourishing:
A 50th Anniversary Celebration
As we celebrate our 50th year of serving victims of crime and trauma, join us as we take a walk through our history. Like the rings of a tree, we will continue to add to our story throughout the year, turning over more leaves, highlighting the community partnerships we are rooted in, and casting our eyes through the branches of agency into the future. Here’s to 50 years and beyond!
Victim Assistance Program has been flourishing for 50 years. Here's to 50 more and beyond! Click through to watch our 50th Anniversary video on YouTube.
Prior to this initiative, our roots date back to 1926, when Reverend Bill Denton began the Furnace Street Mission. FSM operated a halfway house, summers camps for kids on the streets and created the nation's oldest religious radio broadcast.
The key members of this unofficial review board were Captain John Cunningham, Stella Long, the Late Richard Kinsinger, and Robert Denton.
Victim Assistance Program spent the next few years identifying the needs of the community, while advocating for victim compensation legislation in Ohio.
The first program expansion after becoming a nonprofit included four support groups to adult and youth victims of crime.
The first initiative of expansion was implementing AmeriCorps volunteers to identify the scope of human trafficking in Ohio. This laid the groundwork for the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking.
