Victim Volunteers and Helps Other Victims through RVCC
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: February 16, 2013
A group of volunteers made their way through the police station, learning about how the city helps victims of crime.
"Definitely some things about law enforcement," said volunteer Jennifer Carpenter. "The different resources that we have with the sheriff's department, and the APD and CAC all here."
And how they, too, will be helping.
"They have all types of resources for us," said the Sheriff's Office PIO Katherine Handy. "Like, if we have children in need we have resource upstairs. Plus if we have victims that have been in trauma, we can call the crisis center and they just have very good programs for us to utilize."
But to Carpenter, training to help others through the regional victim crisis center means a little bit more.
"I have a passion for victim advocacy because of my own personal experience being a victim and not having someone there to help," she explained.
The senior social work major was sexually molested by her brother for eight years. And now, she's working on helping others in the same situation.
"The strongest way to help someone else is when you have an experience, to be able to share your experience with them and help them go through what they're going through," Carpenter said.
And she's already making a difference. As an intern for the RVCC, Carpenter has also had the opportunity to share her story with others, which she says made an impact.
"It was very neat to be able to share my experience and have other people come up to me and be able to open up and tell me, you know, 'I didn't know that anyone felt the same way,'" she explained. "Having been there myself and knowing the feeling, it's very empowering to me, even to be able to hear someone else and have them tell me that sharing my story has helped them."
With future goals to work for the FBI, Carpenter is using her time now to help victims like herself as much as she can.
"Definitely some things about law enforcement," said volunteer Jennifer Carpenter. "The different resources that we have with the sheriff's department, and the APD and CAC all here."
And how they, too, will be helping.
"They have all types of resources for us," said the Sheriff's Office PIO Katherine Handy. "Like, if we have children in need we have resource upstairs. Plus if we have victims that have been in trauma, we can call the crisis center and they just have very good programs for us to utilize."
But to Carpenter, training to help others through the regional victim crisis center means a little bit more.
"I have a passion for victim advocacy because of my own personal experience being a victim and not having someone there to help," she explained.
The senior social work major was sexually molested by her brother for eight years. And now, she's working on helping others in the same situation.
"The strongest way to help someone else is when you have an experience, to be able to share your experience with them and help them go through what they're going through," Carpenter said.
And she's already making a difference. As an intern for the RVCC, Carpenter has also had the opportunity to share her story with others, which she says made an impact.
"It was very neat to be able to share my experience and have other people come up to me and be able to open up and tell me, you know, 'I didn't know that anyone felt the same way,'" she explained. "Having been there myself and knowing the feeling, it's very empowering to me, even to be able to hear someone else and have them tell me that sharing my story has helped them."
With future goals to work for the FBI, Carpenter is using her time now to help victims like herself as much as she can.
