Welcome to the 2024 May issue of Volunteer Voices, a monthly newsletter for current and potential Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) volunteers.
In this Issue:
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My name is John Crownover, and I have worked with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services for a little over 2 and a half years. I recently changed positions, moving from a prevention position to an intervention-focused one as an ADAPT domestic violence counselor. Working with ADAPT will allow me to work with those who have caused harm around behavior change and accountability, while using a trauma-informed lens and helping them support their own healing.
My journey to this work started overseas in the post-war country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I arrived in the mid-90s, shortly before the ceasefire that would lead to the peace agreement. The demobilization of the population, particularly men who had fought in the war, exacerbated social tensions in the country. With no system to deal with post-traumatic stress, increased poverty and unemployment, and a lack of housing for internally displaced people and refugees, society saw a huge increase in community- and gender-based violence.
The organization I worked with developed a partnership with the Ministry for Social Welfare and local centers for social work (like our Department of Family Services) to work at both the macro-level on policy challenges and the micro-level with staff on addressing some of the community's needs. This partnership led to the first strategy for addressing gender-based violence and partnerships with women’s organizations, which had developed an informal network to provide services for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. A program working predominantly with men who caused harm was piloted and then expanded several years later. This work really demonstrates to me the importance of both prevention and intervention efforts, something made easier when there are volunteers.
DSVS volunteers are a real treasure and provide so much vital support to our mission. I had the opportunity to work with volunteers through our community engagement efforts, hotline, and hospital accompaniment. I also met many of our volunteers over the last couple of years through their participation in Tier 1. We have a passionate and dedicated group, many of whom have been with DSVS for over a decade, helping us deliver the best services to the community. I have recently seen that the volunteers in the ADAPT program also provide vital support in our work with those who cause harm.
When not working, I like to spend time with friends and family and plan for my next travel trip. I am a big supporter of traveling and experiencing different cultures. My international work provided many opportunities to meet colleagues from different corners of the world. Now I get to travel more for pleasure, and I am just wrapping up a trip to South America (Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil). Locally, I love walking the trails at Great Falls National Park, enjoying events at the Kennedy Center, and trying out new ethnic restaurants.
John Crownover
ADAPT Domestic Violence Counselor
Your self-care plan may change based on the season. Try some of these 10 ways to renew your energy and rejuvenate your spirit:
- Enjoy your morning coffee or tea outside on the porch. Wake up to fresh air.
- Fill your house with flowers, which evoke happy emotions.
- Elevate your skincare routine. Try a new overnight face mask and make sure your morning moisturizer has SPF. Toss all expired products.
- Give your to-do list a spring cleaning. Limit yourself to the three most important tasks each day.
- Go for a walk without your headphones. Pay attention to your surroundings.
- Switch up your workout. Just as regularly eating the same meals gets boring, your muscles become immune to the same-old, same-old exercises, making your workouts less effective over time. Taking the same yoga class? Give a cycling class a try.
- Plant a garden. Getting your hands dirty can cleanse your mind.
- Choose your happiness boosters. These activities can include reading; doing arts and crafts with your children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews; or binge-watching your favorite shows. The only requirement? They lift your spirit.
- Pamper yourself with a pedicure—just in time for sandal season.
- Share the love! Do something nice for someone else.
May is chock-full of awareness months, including Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, Foster Care Month, and Older Americans Month (OAM). DSVS invites you to view this Ted Talk, From Hate to Healing, featuring Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, speaking about the enduring challenges faced by Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Then check out articles about and from our team members on these awareness topics.
Comprehensive data of sexual and domestic violence among Asian Americans can be difficult to capture as Asian Americans are commonly undercounted by Census data and underrepresented in studies on domestic and sexual violence. Researchers have also found that Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women who experience violence are more likely to seek support from community rather than formal authorities, meaning traditional methods of data collection undercount the true number of AAPI victims and families impacted. Learn more about the connection between Asian Americans and interpersonal violence.
Soo Jin Kim, victim advocate in the Domestic Violence Action Center, chose social work because it allowed her to support people instead of systems, which is her love language. Learn more about how her journey working with survivors of interpersonal violence led her from Korea to the Department of Family Services.
May is National Foster Care Month. There are approximately 400,000 youth in foster care across the nation. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, there are nearly 5,000 children and youth in foster care, and 200 children and youth are in foster care locally. When a child’s home environment is unsafe due to abuse, neglect, or other circumstances, foster care provides a temporary home for the child with foster parents, relatives, or, in some cases, therapeutic residential care. During Foster Care Month, we recognize the important role members from all parts of child welfare play in supporting children, youth, and their biological families. DSVS’ Clinical Services Program Manager Melody Vielbig spent much of her Fairfax County career in the Foster Care and Adoption division and saw some of these dynamics play out firsthand. Read about her journey from foster care to interpersonal violence.
Older Americans Month (OAM) is celebrated every May and is a time for us to acknowledge the contributions and achievements of older Americans, highlight important trends, and strengthen our commitment to honoring older adults in our community. This year’s theme, Powered by Connection, highlights the impact social connections have on our health and overall well-being. May is also Adult Abuse Prevention Month. Adult Protective Services investigates reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults and our goal is to protect older adults and incapacitated adults. Learn more about Adult Protective Services.
Sexual violence can impact people of any age. Some older adults who experienced sexual violence as children or young adults may disclose their experience for the first time later in life. Learn more about how to respond if an older adult tells you they’ve been a victim of sexual violence.
Did you know: In Fairfax County, 6.32% of women ages 18 and older live in poverty versus only 4.6% of men. This is just a small part of the findings from the “Gaps, Gains, & Goals: The Status of Women and Girls in Fairfax County” study. Karla Bruce, chief equity officer of Fairfax County’s One Fairfax policy, talks about what we learned from this research and how it will guide the county in the future on this edition of the County Conversation Podcast with host Jim Person. For a more complete look at the findings, access the full report.
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
Each newsletter will include this section to help share reviews, spotlight the people who support Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, recognize birthdays and list upcoming trainings and meetings.
The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance is the state’s anti-violence coalition operating on behalf of Virginia’s 71 sexual and domestic violence agencies. The coalition connects communities to policy work, training needs, and best practices, serving as a resource hub and a statewide systems navigator. Recently, Jonathan Yglesias, the Action Alliance’s policy director, shared thoughts about the collaboration between his organization and DSVS. Hint: It’s a win-win situation!
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services has a podcast, Unscripted: Conversations about Sexual and Domestic Violence. Stay in the know with these biweekly discussions!
Debra Ranf, Crisis Response Services supervisor, has been part of DSVS for 23 years, overseeing the Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline and the hospital accompaniment and Lethality Assessment Protocol programs. In addition to managing seven full-time staff and five on-call temporary employees, Deb handles grant writing and reporting duties and helps build collaborative community relationships. Plus, she’s the resident translator on DSVS’ staff for all Spanish-language materials. Deb says she starts planning each day the evening prior to detail documentation and ascertain any overnight issues that may have arisen, while preparing for a slate of daily meetings with staff and partners. She shadows Hotline staff to give immediate feedback and sits on several intra- and inter-agency workgroups. Despite all the prep, she says, “in the blink of an eye, things can change, either because I need to deal with a crisis or redirect my focus to address technology issues or something else critical.” But there’s really no such thing as a “typical day” for folks on the Crisis Response team, hence “crisis” in the team’s name.
Perfect Peace is a story about a large family in a small town in Arkansas.
Meet Sudha Bhat, Hotline Volunteer and ADAPT Co-Facilitator
Allison Lowery and Vic Batson, two longtime DSVS volunteers, help Brittany Vera, child witness to domestic violence coordinator, set up for a training event.