Anyone who is a victim of a violent and/or sexual crime can seek assistance 24 hours a day free of charge from the Victim Center in Springfield. And that effort requires a lot of volunteers.
The Victim Center is looking for volunteer advocates who maintain the center’s 24-hour crisis hotline. Those who call the hotline will receive immediate crisis intervention, including someone to go with them to the hospital or police station, crisis counseling and referral services when needed.
Adam Bollar, the Victim Center’s director of crisis intervention, says they focus on empowering the caller during their time of crisis. But there is an important first step.
“The biggest thing we do before we try to help a caller is to make sure they’re in a safe place for us to be even able to help them [because] sometimes they might not be in that place,” said Bollar. “They may be in a home where they are afraid their abuser may be back any minute,so we try to make sure they have a safety plan and a safe place to be.”
Safety planning is central to what a volunteer does, he says. On a call they ask the person if they can lock all their doors and windows, if they have access to a neighbor who can help keep the caller safe and they can even help the caller get an ex parte from an abusive partner.
Volunteers can choose two to four call shifts per month and attend a monthly meeting. They can work from their own home.
To be a volunteer you must be at least 21, pass a national background and reference check and have access to a phone.
Two upcoming training windows for the Victim Center are Sept 16 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and November 11 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
For more information email volunteerprogram@thevictimcenter.org or call 417-863-75273
