February Employees of the Month: Leslie McPherson & Julie Thomas

By VSS | March 12, 2018

Congratulations to Leslie McPherson, Director of Hotline & Volunteer Services, for being voted as Employee of the Month, at Victim Support Services (VSS), for February of 2018. Leslie has been with the agency since June 2013 and began as a volunteer, quickly working her way through the ranks – getting hired on full-time in August of 2014, and landing herself a leadership role at the agency…

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Welcome our new Hotline Advocate, Nicole Vangrimbergen!

By VSS | February 7, 2018

Victim Support Services is excited to announce that we hired a new hotline advocate, Nicole Vangrimbergen!  Nicole comes to VSS with a wealth of experience. In the past, she has been a Correctional Custody Officer for the Washington State Department of Corrections, a Case Manager with Pioneer Human Services providing supervision for Federal, United States Probation, and Pre-Trial service offenders, a Watch Commander/Administrative Supervisor for Security…

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Employee of the Month: January 2018

By VSS | January 23, 2018

Congratulations to our January Employee of the Month, Janet Quiroga!  Janet has been with VSS since September of 2017 and is our Hotline Advocate, providing primary coverage on the Washington State Crime Victim Service Center Hotline. She is the first one clients speak to when they call seeking services, resources, and crisis intervention.  Her peers describe her as being a team player that always has…

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From the Desk of the Executive Director

By VSS | January 22, 2018

Dr. Michaela Weber, Executive Director It’s the New Year and as you read this, I hope that you are all transitioning into 2018 feeling refreshed and relaxed, after spending some quality time with your respective families/friends/loved ones this past holiday season.  Many of you are reflecting on the past and making projections for the upcoming year, and hopefully most of you are jubilant about the…

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Managing Triggers

By VSS | January 5, 2018

Written by: Maia McCoy, Victim Services Coordinator The word “trigger” has become so ubiquitous in our vernacular that it has lost meaning. “Trigger” is used when one’s buttons are pushed, when one is vexed, frustrated, or fed up. “I was so triggered.” However, many annoyances do not rise to the level of trauma, and by using this word so often and carelessly, we diminish the…

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Employee of the Year

By VSS | December 20, 2017

Congratulations to Brigitta Ellwein, King County Victim Service Coordinator, for being nominated by her peers, as the Victim Support Services Employee of the Year, 2017! This is an award that is provided by co-workers to the team member whom they believe contributed significantly to the agency’s good work in the community throughout the year. Brigitta has exceeded the many challenging requirements and expectations of this work,…

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2018 VSS Furry Friends Calendar

By VSS | December 1, 2017

VSS is launching their first ever calendar for 2018! The calendar is filled with pictures of the VSS staff’s pets. As well, the calendar has VSS events and National Days relating to victims of crime. This calendar is part of our 2017 Year-End-Campaign. What does this mean? If you make a donation of $50 or more you have the option of getting a 2018 VSS…

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ISPI

By VSS | November 3, 2017

Written by: Janet Quiroga, Hotline Advocate On November 1-2, the Victim Support Services team had the privilege to be a part of an ISPI workshop hosted by Roger Addison, Tim Hunt, and Leanne Jensen. VSS was selected, out of many programs throughout 46 countries, to receive this FREE service from the ISPI. This is their 3rd year doing this project. The goal is to perform an…

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A Day in the Life of an on-call Hotline Advocate

By VSS | October 20, 2017

Written by: Andi Eberhardt, Volunteer Hotline Advocate As a volunteer it is difficult to definitively say that my day changes when the clock turns 5pm. On the one hand, I am more aware of the potential for calls, but on the other hand, I am able to go about my day as if nothing has changed. Being able to advocate from the comfort of my…

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