Welcome to the 2025 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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My name is Caroline Croghan, and I am so excited to join your volunteer team as the new DSVS Volunteer Manager! I have already learned so much about our volunteering programs and I am inspired by our volunteer's hard work and dedication for our communities. I am looking forward to meeting you all and hearing about your experiences volunteering with DSVS.
I became passionate about volunteering as a teenager - growing up in Annandale - and volunteering for DC Central Kitchen and Capital Area Food Bank. I loved meeting other volunteers and learning about how community services supported my neighbors. I come to DSVS from the charity world, where I have worked for organizations supporting veterans and members of the US military, people with a background of forced migration and refugees, and people experiencing homelessness. In all these organizations I oversaw volunteering programs where volunteers played a key role in building relationships within our community, fostering trust with clients, and providing essential services.
Though I grew up in Annandale, I have lived overseas in London and Korea for the past 5 years - so I am excited to re-discover the DMV! In my free time I love to cook, hike, and shop second hand - so please share your favorite restaurants, thrift stores, or trails if you have a recommendation for me. Thank you for all the time and dedication you have already given to DSVS - I look forward to working with all of you to support and empower Fairfax Country residents!
Studies have found a correlation between reading and mental stimulation and brain function, lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure and stress reduction. In fact, just six minutes of a page-turner is more calming than other de-stressors, such as a cup of tea or listening to music. Learn ways to rediscover reading.
Natural disasters do not cause domestic or sexual violence, but the physical, mental, and socioeconomic effects of disaster can escalate interpersonal violence. As hurricane season kicks off this month, learn more about the increase in reports of domestic and sexual violence after a natural disaster and how this increase impacts the entire community.
The Department of Family Services Domestic and Sexual Violence Services division supports policies to remove firearms from potentially deadly situations. It’s the law: Gun owners in Virginia who have been served a final protective order must surrender their firearms. (We encourage taking it to the Sheriff’s office: 703-246-4405). By doing so, victims, their families, and our communities are safer. Learn more about the intersection of guns and domestic violence. Get additional information about Fairfax County’s resources to prevent gun violence.
On June 27, 1969, New York police raided Stonewall Inn, a bar located in New York City’s Greenwich Village, well known to the city’s LGBTQIA+ community. Police raids on gay bars were common, and on this night, the growing tensions set off a riot against the brutality and discrimination LGBTQIA+ people were facing. While this was not the first protest of its kind, activist groups, including The Mattachine Society, Gay Activists Alliance, and the Gay Liberation Front, organized a march on the anniversary of the riots with the theme of “Gay Pride.” In the years that followed, other organizations and cities developed pride parades across the country and these celebrations expanded to the entire month of June. President Bill Clinton issued the first proclamation of Pride Month in the United States in 1999. Research shows LGBTQIA+ communities face significant barriers to accessing support when experiencing violence. Learn more about the intersection of interpersonal violence and LGBTQIA+ communities.
In On Juneteenth, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed tells the sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history and provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.
“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” –Unknown
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services’ Advocacy Services is designed to help individuals, families, and community members impacted by domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking. The main goal of Advocacy Services is to provide survivors/victims with support, information, and resources they need to make their own decisions on how to stay safe while navigating the legal system in a way that considers their past experiences. Learn more about how this program supports the community.
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.
When Hollywood Gets It Right 
On average, people in America spend an average of 52 hours per year volunteering their time.*
Community engagement volunteer Seth Woehrle holds down the table at George Mason University’s Consent Carnival.