The Advocate | October 2022
Children who come from homes where domestic violence has taken place are vulnerable, innocent bystanders who should never have to relive hearing it, seeing it, or experiencing it.
So, Victim Assistance Program of Summit County and the Summit County Domestic Relations Court are working together to provide a dedicated space in the courthouse for children whose parent or guardian is seeking a Civil Protection Order. We’re excited to have just launched and opened the Children Who Witness Violence Program Drop-In Center — designed specifically to support those who face a childcare barrier when they’re required to appear in court.
Previously, CPO petitioners with children present had to secure outside childcare before they could have their ex parte hearing. This new program will give petitioners a safe space for their child(ren) while seeking an order from the court and receiving support from trained Victim Advocates.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so the timing of this launch is a great reminder of the needs of children and families from around Summit County. One young mother recently had to appear in court to give testimony — a chilling account of abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her husband and all while his relatives watched and did nothing. She was too scared at first to file a CPO, but with the gentle and knowledgeable encouragement of one of our Advocates, she was able to find her voice.
Although she didn’t have childcare options for her little girl when she had to appear in court — and felt shame that her daughter would be re-exposed to all the traumatic details — she was able to stand up for herself in the presence of her aggressor and his family.
In the time since, she’s found stability for herself and her daughter. We connected her to the services she desperately needed in order to start a path to hope and healing.
Now, thanks to the Children Who Witness Violence Drop-In
Center, parents and children just like them will be given peace of mind when it comes time to appear in court.
VAP is committed to giving victims of domestic violence and dating violence the support they deserve at every step of the legal process. Your support helps make it possible!
Comfort.
It’s what our victim advocates are focused on providing in the moments following a tragedy. Case in point:
VAP arrived on scene at an Akron apartment building. A man had been stabbed to death, and his partner had just been provided a death notification — we’ll call her Heather*.
Heather was shaken to the core. She couldn’t sit still, couldn’t think straight, couldn’t shake the shock of losing her partner after years and years of being together.
Our victim advocate, Faythe, introduced herself and expressed her sincere condolences for Heather’s loss. Heather began to cry — collapsed into Faythe’s chest. She explained how she was afraid such a massive loss for her and her five children would lead her right back to drugs … that she was a recovering addict and didn’t want to succumb to the pressure to use again.
- In the hours and days that followed, Faythe walked Heather through her feelings — of anger, fear, shock …
- Faythe helped the family process their grief, offered help with funeral assistance, talked about Heather’s support system, and encouraged her to contact our 24/7 hotline anytime she needed it …
- And in the days and weeks that followed, Faythe explained everything Heather needed to know about the criminal case that would ensue, informed her about meetings with prosecutors, talked her through the court process and the grand jury details — all the while ensuring she has healthy coping mechanisms and making sure she’s surrounded by the love of family and friends.
Faythe has been utterly instrumental in helping Heather navigate life after loss — in every aspect that she’s needed it — continually building a rapport with her and her family.
VAP is here to bring comfort to the hurting and hope to those who don’t know where to turn … a responsibility we don’t take lightly.
Thank you for supporting our work — for empowering us to intervene when and where people like Heather need us. You are making a critical difference for victims and their loved ones all over Summit County!
*Name shielded for confidentiality.
Suicide prevention is always the goal.
But when tragedy strikes and a suicide takes place, VAP is committed to responding immediately and compassionately to the needs of the victim’s loved ones. In fact, our goal is to respond to 100% of Summit County suicides and provide support to families.
We utilize the CONNECT model of suicide response — to both lessen the immediate and residual impacts of loss and prevent further suicides as well. Since April, we have partnered with the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office to respond to every suicide in the county when requested on scene.
In 2020 and 2021, the Medical Examiner reported 92 and 93 suicides, respectively. Since our partnership began in April, our Postvention Team has responded to all requested suicides with vulnerable loved ones present.
Crisis intervention is at the very core of who we are. VAP has been working in the community for 50 years, and our dedication to providing services and support to those who are in immediate crisis or have just lost a loved one remains unchanged. As we work to prevent tragedy before it ever happens, you have our appreciation for helping us do what we do best.
The 2022 Victim Assistance Program’s Angel Tree Ceremony will honor the memory of individuals lost in Summit County because of violent crime.
We invite family, friends, and community members to join us in person or virtually at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 5th. The Angel Trees and the Wall of Remembrance will be displayed at the Akron-Summit County Public Library throughout the month of December, and the event — free and open to the public — will be live-streamed at 6:00 p.m. on our Facebook page.
If you have lost a loved one due to violence in Summit County and would like their photo included in the memorial video and displayed on the Wall of Remembrance, please submit your photo by December 1, 2022. You can call 330.376.7022 ext. 218 or email your photo with the name of the individual to outreach@victimassistanceprogram.org.
Together, we’ll remember those lost and offer hope to each other during the holiday season.
Fifty years of service, fifty years of flourishing … we were delighted to celebrate during our 50+1 Summit on September 22-23! We welcomed many friends and enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres together while virtually touring all of our six locations in one space at our downtown Akron flagship office.
We also heard from community partners and leaders like VAP Board Chair Megan Raber, Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge Katarina Cook, Summit ADM Executive Director Aimee Wade, Barberton Municipal Court Judge Todd McKenney, and Akron Police Deputy Chief Brian Harding. All of whom were insistent on the essential nature of our work and its urgent need to continue in Summit County.
Together, we are working with amazing folks like you to increase the endowment funds of VAP, held with the Akron Community Foundation. A strong endowment ensures we can weather any storm as an organization for the next 50 years and more.
Brian Reitz and Karen Hrdlicka of Akron Community Foundation also spoke to guests about the importance of planned giving and the long-term sustainability of the agency through legacy partnerships. The VAP Endowment is able to accept gifts of non-traditional means such as stocks, bonds, real assets, and annuities, in addition to monetary donations. If you would like to learn more about legacy and planned giving, to ensure VAP can serve Summit County for another 50 years and beyond, please call Ari Barrett at 330.376.7022 ext. 212.
When Dr. Bob Denton called and said he was leaving VAP to pursue his other passion of providing counseling to law enforcement, I was shocked.
After 40 years at the helm of Victim Assistance, how could anyone replace Bob?! I had known and worked with him for a decade, and he had even married my husband and me! But he told me to throw my hat in the ring as a candidate to replace him as CEO … and I was ecstatic when I landed my dream job — this job. In my new position, I believed I had the academic and firsthand experience to know how victims are perpetrated and what they needed to recover.
As I celebrated 10 years this August of leading VAP, I can’t help but be most proud of establishing the Summit Victim Assistance Academy. I began the program as an internal means to ensure clients were provided with consistent, trauma-informed, best practice services. The program later became sought out by those outside our organization — allowing us to generate income to help the victims we serve. The program not only continues to provide training internally but provides training to professionals from around the country. I feel honored to continue the legacy of education which Dr. Bob Denton instilled in the field of crisis intervention here at VAP.
I am committed to always striving for better ways to provide interns, volunteers, staff, clients, and our community resources that will enhance their own lives. People who know me know I don’t do the “status quo.” So, it makes me especially proud to see how we’ve grown since 2012:
- Staff numbers have increased from 14 to 41.
- Revenues went from $650,000 annually to well over $1.7 million (in 2021) — a 272% jump!
- Partnerships have grown and become more diversified to include Summit ADM, County of Summit Job and Family Services, and many local foundations.
As for the coming decade for VAP, I look forward to Victim Assistance Program becoming a household name — nationwide. I foresee all Summit County police departments requesting advocates on scene for crisis intervention services, or even having advocates stationed in departments other than the Akron Police Department. In addition, we must educate others around the County to provide safety, security, ventilation, validation, prediction, and preparation to address the aftermath of a traumatic experience. We will continue to provide more customized training to the social service and first responder fields while branching out to the corporate arena. (Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company participated in our first Corporate Essentials of Victim Advocacy course, and First Energy’s participation will be early next year!)
People victimized by crime and trauma are everywhere. They are in our families, our neighborhoods, and in our workplaces. The better we can identify, support, and advocate for them, the safer Summit County will be for all of us.
Here’s to another 10 years, and beyond … and thank you for standing with us!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!…
Which means: “LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!”
Mark your calendar now to join us for VAP’s Mardi Gras Gala on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at historic Quaker Station so we can celebrate all the good we’re doing together in Summit County alongside victims of crime and trauma and how we’ll keep impacting lives all year! We’ll feature both silent and live auctions, honor our special Bernard I. Rosen Award recipient,and more.
If you’d like to be a sponsor for the event or want to learn more, click here … and plan on enjoying a great night out with friends who are just as committed to restoring the vulnerable as you are.
