Celebrating 25 years of victims claiming victory
Almost daily, the local news brings us heartbreaking, terrifying reports of people in our community being murdered or victimized by other violent crimes. Law enforcement officers and other first responders to these traumatic experiences are provided with a critical incident debriefing by mental health professionals.
However, years ago in our city, a perplexing dilemma existed regarding proper responses and adequate care for families of homicide loss.
Where could one turn when their child, mother or father was murdered on their way home from work or school, or murdered within their own home? With whom could they share their agony, shock, rage, spiritual disequilibrium or their inability to feel anything as they grappled with the deafening pain of violent crime?
Providentially, 25 years ago to address this pressing problem, Dr. Katherine “Kitty” Lawson expanded a grassroots, church-based counseling program into a one of a kind ministry, Victims to Victory Inc., a nonprofit organization providing faith-centered counseling and support to families grieving losses from homicide.
Dr. Lawson successfully integrated and utilized her training and experience as a psychologist, educator, and pastoral counselor with her special interest in working with faith communities to serve crime victims.
A career of compassion and love
Her extensive training, experience, and passion has afforded her the chance through Victims to Victory to provide grieving family members comforting counsel, prayer, support in seeking justice through the legal system, guidance toward other valuable community resources, and an opportunity to sit with
in a circle of others who can share stories of coping with the murder of loved ones or listen quietly as others tell their story.
Because of Dr. Lawson’s passion and deep commitment to serving crime victims, Victims to Victory has grown and become recognized within the national victim services community as an effective faith-based program.
Under her strong and innovative leadership, she has forged important collaborations with programs responding to domestic violence and initiatives addressing children’s exposure to violence.
Victims to Victory was solicited to be the lead agency in Tennessee in the implementation of the victim/offender dialogue program under Victim Services Director, Sheryl Demott, Tennessee Department of Corrections.
Moreover, Dr. Lawson’s response to homicidal loss includes helping New York clergy in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and collaboration with the University of Memphis Psychology Department in research on Africanamerican homicide bereavement.
Through consulting work with the University of Tennessee, the Defending Childhood Initiative and the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, Dr. Lawson has been instrumental in the development of faith-based curricula on family violence education.
Notwithstanding her many impressive achievements, the most meaningful for Dr. Lawson has been the rich relationships that have been cultivated with the hundreds of family members served by Victims to Victory.
A new season begins
Under her 25 years of directorship, Victims to Victory has faithfully served thousands of clients. Her office is packed with photographs of loved ones, documents and notes from families comforted, and awards in recognition of her tireless dedication to serving others. For 25 years the stories of grieving family members have been interwoven within her own life story.
Now, after passing this 25-year milestone, a quarter-century of full immersion in the lives of grieving families, Dr. Lawson is transitioning to a new season, one of much-deserved rest, new learning, new adventure, and most importantly, time with her beloved family. She has announced her retirement and the closing of Victims to Victory.
However, to ensure continued assistance to crime victims, new clients are referred to the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center, with which Dr. Lawson has partnered for many years.
The office of Victims to Victory will officially close Feb. 28.
Perhaps more than anyone else in our community, Dr. Lawson has worked tirelessly to diminish death by homicide’s agonizing sting, and to deny it victory. Yet, because of her deep faith in the Lord, she would unequivocally add to that, “But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And to that, I would say, “Amen.”
Randolph Potts is a Psychologist in the Memphis area.
Brenda W. Alexander is the Senior Victim Advocate at Victims to Victory.