Welcome to the 2023 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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Hello, and a big thank you to our volunteers!
My name is Melody Vielbig, and I am the new program manager for Clinical Services at DSVS. I am so excited to take on this new role and to support the teams of Counseling Services, ADAPT, and Quality Assurance. I came to DSVS from child welfare, where I worked in Foster Care & Adoption with Fairfax County’s Children, Youth, and Family Division for most of my career.
I did not intend to find my way into the work of public social services when I started my career, but it was through volunteering many years ago with A Men’s Program and my work as an intern that led me to find my path here at the Department of Family Services. I have been blessed to have gone from being a new and developing social worker in Foster Care & Adoption to being able to give back and support the outstanding work of addressing domestic and sexual violence. I feel so blessed to be a part of this dynamic and innovative team.
I know we could not do the work we do without our volunteers, and I thank you for the time, energy, and compassion you give to our community. When I am not learning and growing here in Fairfax County, I am busy with my private practice as a mental health therapist and spending time out in the beautiful places we have around us in the DMV.
I love gardens and flowers, so spring is my happy time! I am excited to see all the beautiful trees blooming and watch the spring flowers peek out of the ground. I hope to have a chance to meet you all soon as I find my path in DSVS. Thank you again for all you do to support the families of Fairfax County!
Melody Vielbig
Program Manager, Clinical Services
Don’t think of self-care as self-indulgent. It’s not. It’s as vital to our overall well-being as water, good nutrition, and physical activity. The best way to maximize your self-care process, however, is to have a self-care plan. Of course, everybody’s self-care plan will be personalized to meet their individual needs. Follow these steps to get started.
Though data collection about gender-based violence among Asian Americans is scarce, we do know that no one is immune to this public health issue. Existing research estimates that as high as 55% of AAPI women in this country have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. Find out what current and historical activists have done to support survivors.
Mothers undeniably impact and shape history, but their stories are often left out or misrepresented, says sociologist and author Anna Malaika Tubbs. This erasure limits policies to support mothers and their essential roles in society. Citing the remarkable lives of Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin (the mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, respectively), Tubbs emphasizes the need to shift the perspective on motherhood at a cultural level to better reflect the presence, power, and influence of moms as our first leaders, caretakers and teachers. "Would the world be different today if we had been telling their stories all along?" she asks in this TED Talk.
“Nothing in nature lives for itself. The rivers do not drink their own water; the trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself; and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature.” –Unknown
A Way Forward’s purpose is simple and straightforward: to help survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Fairfax County. This small but mighty non-profit organization partners with the Domestic Violence Action Center on financial matters for survivors. 
Meet Brittany Tokash, Counseling Intern
