Welcome to the 2025 November 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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Happy November! We are entering an exciting time of year where I hope all of you will be able to take a break from work or your regular schedule, prioritize spending time with family and friends, and indulge in your favorite foods, movies, and cozy activities!
November is a month of giving thanks, and we want to extend our deepest gratitude to all our volunteers at DSVS. You have learned new skills, shared your expertise, and given your weekends and late nights to make Fairfax County a safer community.
Showing our appreciation for you is one of my favorite parts of my role as volunteer manager, whether it is seeing you at social events or celebrating your accomplishments. I continuously hear about how much our teams depend on you. Beyond that, your involvement makes DSVS more than a county agency; you help make us a member of the community we serve!
Thank you all for the time, energy, knowledge, and skills you bring to your roles at DSVS and to your own communities. We could not do the work without you–we are grateful for you!
Caroline Croghan
Volunteer Manager
3 Thanksgiving Self-Care Tips
According to research, women are disproportionately stressed by Thanksgiving, but they aren’t the only ones. People occupying marginalized identities, immigrants, and folks navigating hectic finances might feel stressed by the holiday season, too. No worries: self-care to the rescue with these three tips!
November is Native American Heritage Month. The impact of sexual and domestic violence on indigenous communities in the U.S. has a long history, reaching back to the first European colonizers who came here in the late 15th century. The effects of this violence still can be seen today, with research showing American Indian/Alaska Native women having some of the highest rates of rape of any other people. Transgender and nonbinary indigenous people have even more stark statistics: Two-thirds report experiencing sexual assault and nearly three-quarters report violence by an intimate partner. Native women and girls go missing and are murdered at the highest rate of any racial or ethnic group, often related to domestic violence and human trafficking. Find out how activists are working to change this narrative.
Youth who are homeless face a higher risk of being victims of violence, especially sexual violence. In fact, recent research shows young adults experiencing homelessness are as much as 35% more likely to experience sexual violence than housed youth. But the relationship between sexual violence and homelessness is complicated: Sexual violence is both a contributor to homelessness and a factor resulting from homelessness. Understand more about the scope of this problem.
Before that nightmarish day in 2015, Megan Hiatt had tried to leave her boyfriend, Gawain Rushane Wilson, 28, twice, knowing the relationship wasn’t healthy but never identifying herself as a victim of domestic violence. Only 22 at the time, she says she was “young, naïve and uneducated,” not knowing that abuse could look like more than a black eye or bruises.
Did you know that the Department of Family Services also offers multiple programs that make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals within our community? Read on to learn about all the ways you can support people involved with DFS.
Love bombing is a form of emotional abuse where an individual intent on causing harm showers a new partner with excessive attention, affection, compliments, declarations of love, and gifts to create an intense emotional bond and a sense of urgency and dependence, which then paves the way for manipulation once the partner is “hooked.” There might also be attempts to isolate the partner from family and friends, ultimately making the victim lose their sense of self within the relationship. Check out these signs.
Honoring Our Indigenous Communities
November is National Native American Heritage Month, an opportunity for us to celebrate and learn about customs and histories of indigenous people across the United States. Fairfax County land was originally inhabited by the Manahoac and Piscataway nations. Find out more about the people indigenous to where you live. And watch these TED Talks to hear indigenous speakers reflect on the histories of their people, their experience of indigenous identity, and what we can learn from their communities: 3000-Year-Old Solutions to Modern Problems; Indigenous in Plain Sight; and The Standing Rock Resistance and Our Fight for Indigenous Rights.
“Volunteers are paid in six figures …. S-M-I-L-E-S.” – Gayla LeMaire
Two Volunteer Programs Join Forces to Fight Intimate Partner Violence
The Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Language Access program (originally the Volunteer Interpreter Program, or VIP) has existed for 30 years, providing services for limited English speakers at the court. Volunteer Voices recently sat down with Sandra Guerrero Perez, Language Access manager, and the program coordinator Mildred Castillo Villareal to talk about the work the program does. This is an excerpt of that conversation.
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.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services’ podcast, Unscripted: Conversations about Sexual and Domestic Violence, is real talk on tough topics! Stay in the know with these biweekly discussions. If you have ideas for topics you’d like to hear addressed on Unscripted, email them to DSVS’ communications specialist Kendra Lee.
Volunteer Manager Caroline Croghan hit the ground running in April 2025, as DSVS had been without staff in this position for six months. “On a typical day, I speak with community members who are interested in volunteering, carry out interviews for new volunteers, and run trainings and meetings for volunteers,” she says. “I also maintain the data and admin within the Volunteer Program and collaborate with my teammates to carry out community events.”
“Adolescence” is a Netflix limited series focused on the murder of a young girl, Katie, in Liverpool, UK, where the prime suspect is one of her classmates, a 13-year-old boy, Jamie. The series explores themes of gender, innocence, culture, and violence. This is part two of a four-part media review where we will dive into each episode’s commentary around violent culture, how it intersects with gender, and how gender-based violence affects a community.
5 Years of Partnership and Impact in Fairfax County
Hospital Accompaniment Program Specialist Kendal Cristaudo leads HASA volunteer training for a new crop of recruits!