Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 5

Embedded Scribd iPaper - Requires Javascript and Flash Player
Volunteer Voice
May 3, 2010
Genevieve N. Waller, Esq. Executive Director Georgina Hance Office Manager Harriet Williams, LMFT (IN) Director of Crisis Services Sherry Lewis, MA, LPC Director of Therapy and Outreach Katie Reid, MSW Community Education Program Director Mary Dell Hayes Volunteer Services Coordinator Melanie Griffin, LMSW Sexual Assault Services Coordinator Meredith Peters, LPA (NC) Advocate Counselor Jennifer Gantt, LMSW Group Services Coordinator Emily Flores, MA Bilingual Victim Advocate
May2010
May 2010
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 CE on Latino Survivors 11 5 6 7 8
9 Mother’s 10 Day 16 17
12
13
14
15
18
19
20 CE Event 27
21
22 Health Fair 29
23
24
25
26
28
30
31 Memorial Day
 IN THIS ISSUE
May Calendar Award Winners and Call Totals New Staff and Upcoming Events Working With Latino Clients
Check inside for more information from our class on working with Latino Survivors! Don’t forget to honor your mother! You can always make a donation in her honor to STSM. See the flyer below the newsletter for information about how to sign up for this free, all day training. This will satisfy your CE requirements for one year. We need two volunteers to help with STSM’s booth at Rehoboth Restoration Ministry’s Health Fair from 9:00am-2:00pm. Want to earn $35? Sign up to cover a 24-hour shift on Memorial Day. You will be on call from 8:00am Monday morning until 8:00am Tuesday morning.

1 2 3 4



Page 1
SCVAN Volunteer of the Year
The South Carolina Victim’s Assistance Network selected Anna Walton as the Volunteer of the Year. Anna was surprised with the award in Greenville at SCVAN’s annual conference and award ceremony on Thursday, April 21. Anna’s dad, Ed Walton, along with Ginny Waller, STSM Executive Director, and Mary Dell presented the award. Anna Walton has been a Volunteer Advocate with Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands since October of 2007 and has contributed more than one thousand on call hours. She is resourceful at finding alternative transportation, housing, treatment, and supplies for survivors who may be homeless or without necessary prescriptions and resources as a result of their assault. Her passionate advocacy in the Latino community led her to create the on-campus organization Amigos del Buen Samaritano, a student organization that assists the West Columbia Good Samaritan clinic in coordinating volunteers and providing assistance with computers and raising funds.
April Call Totals
Total Hospital Calls: 25 Hospital Calls answered by volunteers: 20 Hospital Calls answered by staff: 5 Total Hotline Calls: 14 Hotline Calls answered by volunteers: 9 Hotline Calls answered by staff: 5
STSM Volunteer of the Year On Tuesday, April 13 Sarah Moran received STSM’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Sarah has volunteered with STSM for three years. During those three years she has regularly gone above and beyond the call of duty. She has provided approximately 170 hours of direct service and more than 1,500 hours of on call time. Sarah is a compassionate advocate for survivors of sexual assault. She is not afraid to speak up on her survivor’s behalf if she feels they are not receiving the best possible care. In addition to her work at STSM, Sarah works at the Jewish Community Center and is a full time MSW/MPH student at USC. She graduated in 2009 from the Honors College at USC with a degree in International Studies and Philosophy. Sarah has also volunteered with the Waverly After School Center as a tutor and mentor.
Page 2
STSM Welcomes New Staff Members Meredith Peters and Harriet Williams!
Harriet J. Williams earned a Social Work degree from Benedict College, then a Masters of Education and Counseling from Boston University, where she subsequently earned a license in marriage and family therapy as well as certifications in alcohol/drug prevention/ studies and advanced group therapy facilitation. Her experience is rich in both depth and breadth, and she has used her skills to help a myriad of demographics, from youths to military members. A former Department of Defense Civil Servant, she lived in Germany and served as a Clinical Director of a 36 bed in-patient treatment facility for military members affected by alcohol and drug abuse. She also served as the Chief of Social Work Service for two out-patient clinics in an international military community, serving a population of over 12,000 military members, civilians, local nationals and their family members in Germany. After relocating to South Carolina in August 2002, she was a treatment director for the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) Juvenile Justice In-patient drug and alcohol treatment facility. While at DAODAS, she was promoted to Program Manager, where she served as subject matter expert for substance abuse issues on the Child Fatality Committee as well as managed two major aftercare treatment programs. Harriet was married for 28 years to an Army Chief Warrant Officer (now deceased), and is the mother of a son who serves honorably in the United States Air Force, and a daughter who fulfilled her military service and is now a freelance writer. Harriet is part of a speed walking group and really enjoys competitive racquet ball if anyone is up for the challenge! Meredith is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a Master’s in Psychology. She received her practicum and internship training in the NC Department of Correction, and her experiences with perpetrators of sexual violence fostered a desire to work with the survivors. She began her career in counseling at the Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc in Wilmington, North Carolina. She moved to Columbia, SC for her husband to attend law school in August 2009. She joined STSM in April 2010 and is very proud to be a part of the STSM team. Meredith has a 2-year-old niece, Ramsey, and a 6month-old nephew, Bryton. Meredith and her husband are proud parents of a 7-yearold Sheltie named Lexi. Meredith loves to run and is obsessed with anything Lilly Pulitzer.
Upcoming Dates to Remember: Tuesday, May 4: CE Event Saturday, June 12-Thursday June 17: Summer Volunteer Advocate Training Saturday, August 21: Speaker’s Bureau Training Saturday, May 22: Rehoboth Restoration Ministry Health Fair from 9:00am-2:00pm Friday, June 4: Teen Health Summit at Dreher High School from 8:00am-3:00pm Saturday, June 26: SC HIV/AIDS Council Block Party from 9:00am-2:00pm Saturday, July 31: Midlands Community Health Center Family Fun Day from 10:00am-2:00pm
Page 3
Working with Hispanic Clients
To provide you with some of the information presented at the May 4 CE, we have compiled a summary below. What does Hispanic mean? Hispanic is a category that the US government uses to identify people from many different countries. Hispanic is an identification based on ethnicity—sharing a common national origin/heritage and language. Thus, this term is applied to people from countries where Spanish is spoken and have Spanish heritage. If you look at all of the countries whose citizens make up the Hispanic population in the US, you would see people who look very different from one another and have different cultural heritages. For example, someone from the Dominican Republic might have Spanish and African ancestry, whereas someone from Argentina might have Italian ancestry. They both speak Spanish and would be considered Hispanic. Because of the large diversity, it is evident that the classification “Hispanic” can be problematic. Some residents of Latin America are offended as being identified based on their “Spanishness”, especially after the way that certain groups were treated by the Spanish. Be sure to avoid calling someone “Spanish” unless they are an immigrant from Spain. Another term that is used is “Latino.” Latino refers to a person whose heritage is related specifically to Latin America. This is generally seen as a more inclusive term. In addition, many Hispanic/Latino individuals will identify themselves based on their nationality i.e. Mexican, Guatemalan etc. Hispanic/Latino Cultural Trends As mentioned above, Hispanic/Latino people are a very diverse group. However there are some general cultural trends that we can find in Latin American countries. Keep in mind that these trends are general and vary according to socio-economic status and the particular nation that someone is from. It is helpful to know some of these trends when working with clients/survivors: - Importance of family and personal relationships - Polychronic Time Orientation -change plans often and easily -consider time commitments an objective to be achieved if possible -Traditional Gender Roles -Simpatia and respect When using an interpreter in the E.R. remember . . . -everything you say will be interpreted in the manner you say it -speak directly to the client in first person (e.g. “Hello Mrs. Flores, how are you tonight?”) -pause every couple of sentences for interpretation If you encounter a Spanish-speaking survivor in the E.R., realize that we now have Survivor handbooks available in Spanish. You can find a copy in the locker. We also have counseling services available to Spanish-speakers. If you need any assistance or have further questions, feel free to call Emily at the office during business hours or after hours you can call the hotline and ask to speak with her.
Tips and Reminders
 
Do NOT give anyone at the hospital your last name. They only need your first name. If you do, it will be possible for you to be subpoenaed to testify in court. If you have to talk about a case with anyone other than the survivor, please go to a quiet place or to the family room. Don’t be afraid to ask law enforcement or medical staff to move to another location to respect the survivor’s privacy. You should always wear closed toed shoes to the hospital.
