Welcome our new Victim Services Coordinator, Erik!
Victim Support Services is pleased to introduce Erik Saulness, our new Victim Services Coordinator for Skagit and Whatcom counties. Erik is a lifelong resident (with the exception of some time spent in the Navy) of Washington State and comes to VSS from a background in social work and child welfare with DSHS. Prior to his work with DSHS, Erik worked as an air traffic controller…
Read MoreJoin VSS for our King County Missing and Unidentified Persons awareness event on May 24th
Every missing person is someone’s son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife. There are hundreds of families in the State of Washington dealing with the profound devastation of a loved one that is missing. There are also over 100 deceased persons currently needing to be identified. Law enforcement relies on the community and the media as partners in their search for all…
Read MoreWelcome our new Hotline Advocate, Schana Odell!
Please help VSS welcome our new on-call Hotline Advocate — Schana Odell! Schana comes to VSS with over 20 years of experience working with vulnerable populations including those individuals and families who are low-income, under resourced, have limited education and connections, who may have had previous trauma, chemical dependencies or have been victimized. She currently works part-time for Housing Hope as a Child and Family Specialist. Additionally, she…
Read MoreWe received a special training grant!
Victim Support Services is excited to announce that we have received a training grant from Washington state. This grant is short-term, ending September 30th, 2018. In between now and then, VSS will be providing four Core Advocate trainings – two in Everett, one in Wenatchee, and one in Kennewick – to victim advocates who want to be pre-qualified to work in Washington state. Additionally, VSS will be…
Read MoreApril Employee of the Month: Leslie McPherson
VSS wishes to congratulate Leslie McPherson, Director of Hotline & Volunteer Services for being voted in again as this month’s Employee of the Month. Last month, you had the opportunity to read about Leslie’s extensive history with VSS, as well as her quick progression from a volunteer to a Program Director at the agency. One of Leslie’s passions here at VSS is fund development, as she co-chairs the Fund Development Committee…
Read MoreA Letter of Appreciation to all Volunteers
Written by: Leslie McPherson, Director of Hotline & Volunteer Services I would like to take a moment to deviate from our usual style of posting to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who devote their personal time to Victim Support Services. Whether it be the individual who selflessly spends hours on-call in the wee hours of the night listening to the trauma that individuals in…
Read MoreVolunteer Appreciation Week
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, VSS would like to take a moment to honor Belinda Gloyd, our longest standing volunteer EVER! We asked Belinda to share a few words, and here is what she said: “Volunteering is a great way to feel a belonging to the community in which you live. When I look to volunteer, I look at the who the agency serves…
Read MorePower of One Award
Many individuals can attest to the backbone of nonprofit agencies – our volunteers. Quite often the unsung heroes of this work – they dedicate their free and personal time to helping us advance our mission in so many different ways. Much of what we are able to do is in large part, because we have an incredible group of volunteers and this includes our energetic…
Read MoreNational Stress Awareness Month
Written by: Nicole Vangrimbergen, Victim Services Coordinator Many of us get home from work, grab a frozen dinner, toss it in the microwave and pour a glass of wine. Maybe we drop into the local fast food chain because we are in a rush to get to the next commitment, whether its baseball practice for our son or a dance recital for our daughter. Many…
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