Burlington, PA- Ron Stewart says life has been really good to him but at one point he felt something was missing. “I have a nice family, a nice home, a nice job,” the 53-year-old Burlington Township resident explained, “but I thought I’d like to help people in need.” Stewart, a health and physical education teacher at Marlton Middle School, saw an ad in the paper for volunteers to work on Burlington County’s Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) as civilians who assist victims in the aftermath of an abuse incident. Team members are called in to help with everything from interviews with police to providing information about shelter and other services and options that might be available. “I assumed it was a woman’s kind of thing but they said they definitely accept men,” Stewart recalled. He went through training and this year he is marking his 10th anniversary on a DVRT that serves the Burlington Township, Burlington City and Florence areas. “I really enjoy what I do with them and I look at it as giving back to the community,” Stewart added. “Everyone’s aware of domestic violence but my experience has been really eye-opening. You realize that some people treat other people so badly that it’s just ridiculous.” There are nine such teams serving all of the Burlington County municipal police departments and the State Police Red Lion station, and volunteers are being sought for a new class that begins training Saturday at the Westampton municipal building, 710 Rancocas Road. Providence House Domestic Violence Services of Catholic Charities, which runs a shelter for victims from Burlington County, conducts the DVRT training and oversees the program. Prospective volunteers must be 18, live or work in Burlington County, and have a valid driver’s license, access to transportation and no criminal record. They also must be willing to serve a minimum of three 12-hour shifts per month and submit to background checks, including fingerprinting. Candidates receive 40 hours of training during which they learn how to work with the police and provide information, support and referrals to victims. Anyone interested in joining a DVRT in their area is asked to contact their local police department. “It’s a great chance to provide some help and comfort to a person who might be experiencing the toughest thing they may have ever had to endure in their life, and they might be actually alone or emotionally alone with no one else to turn to,” said Maple Shade Police Lt. Jeffrey Hoch. “Victims are nervous, they’re scared,” added Detective Danielle Hann, the Pemberton Township DVRT police liaison. “They want to talk to an individual but if they talk to an officer they know the officer has to respond to everything they’re saying.” She said she views the DVRT as a “buffer between the police and the victim” and said the volunteers are “a huge asset not only to the victims but to the officers as well.” “The victims of domestic violence are very frequently having the worst days of their lives,” said Sgt. James Mitchell, the police liaison for the DVRT program in Delran. “They’re walking in (to the police department) with an officer who’s probably done this (handled a domestic violence case) 10,000 times and maybe they feel more comfortable talking to a civilian.” Penny Paparteys, advocacy services supervisor for Providence House, said the DVRT program started in Burlington County in 2001 after the 1994 Prevention of Domestic Violence Act mandated all police departments throughout the state offer domestic violence response teams. Paparteys said that it is when a victim goes to the police department following the arrest of the abuser or under other circumstances relating to the incident that DVRT members are activated through a hotline. “The volunteer never goes to the scene though on some occasions they will go to the hospital (to talk with the victim),” Paparteys added. She said the personal interaction with someone with a friendly ear is key in these situations. “There have been lots of research projects done to show these types of face-to-face interventions make a tremendous difference in breaking that pattern of isolation,” Paparteys noted. “There may be shame involved (for the victim) or embarrassment. With someone coming to share that experience the victim may be far more likely to reach out to other helping agencies. They realize there’s someone who will believe them and not blame them for what is happening.” Paparteys said “8 to 10 percent” of the volunteers are men. He also said DVRT members are people who want to say domestic violence happening in their community “isn’t okay.” “Men have the same motivation as women,” Paparteys added. “They want to make a difference and be part of the solution.” She said volunteers come from all backgrounds and income levels and include nurses, clerks, social workers and stay-at-home moms. “Being on the team is a powerful experience,” Paparteys said, but she said a DVRT candidate needs to be someone who has a true desire to help others and is a good listener. There are nearly 100 volunteers in Burlington County. Alison Rooney, 40, owner of a communications company that bears her name in Moorestown, is a volunteer who works with the team that responds to victims there as well as in Maple Shade and Mount Laurel. The former Mount Laurel resident who now lives in Merchantville, Camden County, said she has found working with people who have been abused to be a huge learning experience. “I’ve always been a big supporter of women’s issues and helping people in crisis so it seemed like an important thing to do (being a member of the DVRT),” Rooney explained. “But I’ve realized it (domestic violence) is sort of an epidemic, and I didn’t realize how prevalent it was. It’s like it’s all around you constantly – like an invisible epidemic.” Paparteys said there is a particular need for volunteers who would be assigned to Pemberton, Delran, Cinnaminson, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, Willingboro, Delanco, Edgewater Park and Beverly. phillyburbs/00redesign/news/local/burlington-domestic-violence-responders-valued/article_03de9c99-08a4-58a0-9630-fdadad19d1f0.html
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 13:25:28 +0000
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