Victim Services marks 35 years helping people
Supporting victims of homicide, assault and other crimes can be emotionally taxing, but volunteers say it’s worth it because of the difference they can make.
Dozens of volunteers with the Edmonton Police Service’s victim services unit celebrated the unit’s 35th anniversary at police headquarters Wednesday, and were recognized for doing a job that many might find too difficult to handle.
Marisa Polidoro, a volunteer with the unit for 26 year, is one of 135 victims’ advocates who works directly with victims. She said one of her most challenging and most rewarding experiences came at the same moment, on one of her first calls to a victim’s bedside.
Polidoro recalled standing beside a distraught mother in a hospital room, next to an 18-month-old child who had suffered physical injuries from a crime. The mother was devastated and reeling from shock.
“The child was awake and crying and the poor mother couldn’t hold her child, that’s how affected she was,” Polidoro said. “She felt the guilt, she felt the horror of the situation ... she turned to me and asked me to hold the child.”
Polidoro lifted the baby into her arms. “Having that little infant who’s just so helpless and who definitely did not deserve that was really hard,” she said. “Even when I think about it now, and that was about 20 years ago, it still remains with me that this child, even though the pain that they were suffering from the physical injuries, still managed to stop crying in my arms and smile at me.”
The unit helps about 30,000 victims of crime each year and is run mainly by volunteers, who help victims deal with trauma, refer them to resources that can help them move on and may follow up with them, sometimes for years after the crime.
In honour of the unit’s anniversary, Coun. Mike Nickel officially declared Wednesday, July 23, “Victim Services Day” in Edmonton.
Victim services co-ordinator Sonia Wilson said the unit attracts volunteers from a range of backgrounds, including teachers, veterinarians, stay-at-home parents, social workers and students. The one thing they have in common is a desire to help others.
“Some volunteers are just people who have had tragedy in their lives and would like to give back to their community,” Wilson said.
Polidoro said the service is especially important for victims who don’t have family or other social supports.
“We don’t want anyone to go through this alone,” she said.