Welcome to the 2023 June 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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Hi, Volunteers.
My name is Tungalag Ayush, but I prefer to go by Tammy. I've been working for the Department of Family Services, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services since October 2022 as a management analyst II. Before joining DSVS, I worked for the FDA data analytics team and Fairfax County Land Development Services.
I spent all my childhood and undergrad years happily in Mongolia. However, I had a dream to contribute my knowledge and skills to establish protective laws for Mongolian women and children and bring out a positive impact in our community. So I came to the United States from Mongolia in 2006 to study for my master’s degree in public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
When my career path crossed with DSVS, I was so delighted to join the team that strives to strengthen the well-being of others and provides various forms of assistance to domestic and sexual violence victims. My career dream was fulfilled. I truly enjoy providing data analysis support to ADAPT, Counseling, Advocacy, Community Engagement Services (CES), and Countywide Coordination (CCT) supervisors and helping DSVS prevent domestic and sexual violence in Fairfax County based on solid data.
I’m a mother of three school-age children and enjoy watching their sports games. I like running, playing basketball, practicing yoga, and meditating. I like gardening as well, and my favorite flowers are oriental lilies. I can’t wait to see what lilies will come out in my garden this spring.
Tungalag Ayush (Tammy)
Management Analyst II
Cross Programs
Stress is part of life. In fact, our stress response is a survival mechanism that allows us to react to threats. Some stress is good for us—think a new project at work that helps you stretch your strengths and learn new skills, meeting a weight-lifting goal, or receiving a standing ovation for a speech in front of a large crowd. Good stress, on the other hand, produces positive feelings of excitement, fulfillment, meaning, satisfaction, and well-being. But when stress turns toxic, it becomes negative. Fortunately, there are healthy ways to combat negative stress.
June is Pride Month. LGBTQIA+ communities face significant barriers to accessing support when experiencing violence. Discrimination in housing and employment, high rates of homelessness, and isolation from community based on one’s identity can prevent those experiencing domestic violence from accessing support services. Additionally, many victim services programs address the needs of cisgender women without meaningfully accommodating survivors of other gender identities or sexualities. Current and historical activists have worked hard to address these barriers. Learn more.
Fathers matter. Whether it’s giving his baby a bath, learning how to braid a daughter’s hair, helping with virtual schooling, eating together with family, or guiding teens and young adults through college and career decisions, dads are vital in the upbringing of their children. June is Fatherhood Awareness Month. Check out our Pocket Dad video series to get parenting tips for fathers.
The Trevor Project presents the first episode from their Learn with Love series. In this premiere episode, Trevor invited trans young people from all over the country to share their experiences of growing up and how the people in their lives affected them, affirmed them, or changed them. This information is especially important for those of us who work with transgender survivors. We know that LGBTQIA+ communities face significant barriers to accessing support when experiencing violence. The 2015 National Transgender Survey reported violence at some of the highest rates of any marginalized group, where 54% of respondents reported experiencing violence from an intimate partner. Transgender people of color were disproportionately impacted, with as high as 56% of Black respondents and 73% of American Indian and Alaskan Native respondents reporting experiencing intimate partner violence.
“Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice … you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Counseling Services and Anger & Domestic Abuse Prevention & Treatment (ADAPT) program have been brought together under one umbrella: Clinical Services. 
Meet Willmara Moye, Hotline Volunteer
