Submitted on 25Oct02 by Sheryl Simons, Volunteer Coordinator, Women's Information Service, Inc. W I S E MI USA
I work at a domestic violence shelter. I was sending e-mails one morning and started writing. It was a letter to new shelter volunteers to help them see all the ways they might like to join in. The story had the word volunteer in BOLD at least once in each paragraph and showed different aspects of volunteering throughout. It started with:
"You finally called the police and your husband has been arrested. He has threatened to kill you when he is released from jail in 20 hours. There is a no contact order in place, but you are still afraid. Within an hour of his arrest you are contacted by a volunteer from the shelter. He asks how you are doing. You tell him about what happened and also that you are afraid of losing custody of the 2 children you have. He gives you the phone # for the shelter, suggests that you talk to our legal advocate, and asks if a counselor can call you back tomorrow. He tells you about the shelter and that there is a 800 hotline available 24 hours a day anytime you need to call. He talks to you about a safety plan when your husband is released from jail. He tells you that the abuse is NOT YOUR FAULT, and reassures you that the confusion you are feeling is normal."