Review our 2013 Annual Report - Crime Victim Center of Erie County

2013
ANNUAL REPORT
comfort • counsel • educate
ANNUAL REPORT
2013
who we c ou n s el
comf ort
c om for t • c ou n sel • e duc ate
“After drinks with friends downtown one night last
year, I found myself unaware of my surroundings.
I was robbed and both physically and sexually
assaulted. After sharing what happened with
another friend, I was encouraged to call the Crime
Victim Center as soon as possible. Their help was
truly a blessing; they even went to court with me.” It’s well-documented that the
way people cope as victims of
crime depends largely on their
experiences right after the crime.
That’s why it is so critical for
the Crime Victim Center to be
ready to help victims cope with
the immediate trauma and begin
the journey to restore a sense of
control over their lives.
comfort • counsel • educate
The journey of healing from
the trauma of crime is not for
the faint of heart. Indeed, it
requires large degrees of trust,
perseverance and strength.
For 40 years, the Crime Victim
Center of Erie County has been
privileged to serve countless
men, women and children who
have turned to us for help in their
healing journeys. And for 40
years, our donors and sponsors
have provided the resources and
support that enables our staff
to comfort, counsel and educate
those in need.
Erie County. In particular, our
40th Anniversary Symposium
featuring Elizabeth Smart and
the second annual Moonlight
on the Bay fundraising event
spurred community awareness
and financial contributions to
new levels.
As more people come to know
the Crime Victim Center, more
people will ask for our help. With
your continued support and
contributions, we will be able to
expand our outreach programs
to prevent crime while assisting
those who fall victim.
This past year, our board of
directors and professional staff
worked tirelessly to raise our
profile and extend our reach to
even more victims of crime in
Thank you for joining us on our
journey over the past 40 years.
For a safer community, we pledge
to continue to comfort, counsel
and educate.
Paul Lukach, Executive Director
Steve Rosen, Board Chair
WHO WE HELP
Crime Victims Served in 2013
Sexual Assault
Adults 372
Children 340
Significant others 336
Other Crimes
Victims 3,842
Witnesses 1,048
Significant others 285
Crime Victims Compensation
Claims 59
Payments $183,530
Whatever the crime – child or
elder abuse, home invasion,
homicide, robbery, sexual or
aggravated assault – we have
learned that if there is help,
there is hope. By getting victims
the immediate assistance they
need, the Crime Victim Center
staff facilitates healing and
assists these individuals and
their families in unburdening
themselves from the violence.
O U R B OA R D
Steve Rosen, President
Shawn Waskiewicz, Vice-President
Mark Murphy, Treasurer
Terri Koebe, Secretary
Phyllis Aiello
Maria Continenza
Maria Garase
Rebecca Jones
Elisa Konieczko
John Kroto
William Morton
Heidi Oldaker
Dan Sloppy
Patti Starvaggi
Suzanne Weidle
-- former CVC client
Our Trained Counselor Advocates
provide crisis intervention,
counseling, accompaniment
through the criminal justice and
medical systems as well as victim
compensation and restitution
assistance.
K E Y S E RV I C ES
•24-hour hotline
•Crisis intervention
•Individual counseling
•Support groups
•Accompaniment to court
•Information about case status
•Assistance with filing paperwork
•Satellite offices
counsel
ANNUAL REPORT
2013
wh at we te ac h
“Fifth grade students can be challenging, but the
community educators from the Crime Victim Center are
so professional and always present age-appropriate
content. I think that some of the students were a little
surprised by the topic – a few of our boys were giggling
at the start – but soon realized that the dangers being
discussed are very real and they asked important
questions after the presentation.”
“Coming back from my technical school, the assault
came from nowhere. I was knocked out with the
first blow. The next thing I knew I was in the
nurse’s office waking up. I had bad dreams…and
my Mom was worried about the doctor’s bills. Plus,
we had to go to court to see the attacker. The Crime
Victim Center helped us every step of the way and
changed my life forever.”
-- former CVC client
When crime occurs, the media
typically focuses on “who did it.”
However, the Crime Victim Center
provides the victims with emotional
support and counseling they need
to get their lives back together.
Our work with these men, women
and children doesn’t make the
headlines. But as you can read in
the example above, what we do
enables the thousands of victims
of crime to cope with their fears
and anxieties.
At the Crime Victim Center,
our counselors offer a broad
system of support and can direct
victims to other services they
need. Regardless of when the
crime occurred or whether it was
reported to law enforcement,
we provide free and confidential
counseling to anyone who seeks
our assistance.
-- Grade 5 Teacher, St. James School
It’s not easy teaching children
about sexual abuse. But every
year the Crime Victim Center
staff speaks to hundreds of school
students throughout the region
to help them to understand the
difference between good secrets
and bad secrets.
H OW W E H E L P
Victims Responses to CVC Services
Our goal is not to frighten them,
but to engage the children in
such a way that they can talk to
their parents, teachers and other
trusted adults if a question or
concern ever arises.
80% Feel better about themselves
80% Better able to identify
their feelings
80% Better able to communicate
their needs
80% Better able to express
anger appropriately
70% Less fearful about using
CVC services
60% Feel less shame
W H AT W E T E AC H
Prevention Education Programs
for Students, Teachers and Adults
Programs Presented 413
Total Participants 22,134
School Programs
Good Secrets/Bad Secrets 4,194
Bullying 1,663
O U R STA F F
Paul Lukach,
Executive Director
Jeffrey Clorley,
Director of Dev. & Marketing
Michelle Mitchell,
Director of Court Advocacy
Rebecca Torrey,
Director of Clinical Services
Amy Blackman,
Director of Prevention Edu.
Marge Chatt
Carol Finotti
Chrissy Fortin
Debi Gorton
Vicky Herrmann
Martine Holquist
Tameki Hooker
Gina Mannarelli-Agostine
Kayla Mennini
LaSonya Moffett
Carol Panighetti
Erin Pelinsky
Jaime Stoeger
Dan Gennaro
Jesse Antolik
Abby Widdowson
Kristen Reno
educat e
how we help
FUNDING
The Crime Victim Center has
prevention education programs
for students in preschool through
college. We also conduct separate
presentations for teachers,
parents and the general public.
To stay abreast of current
issues and trends, the topics for
both students and adults are
constantly evolving.
MHMR
$139,735
PCAR
301,996
United Way
75,662
VOCA V/W
200,219
VOCA S/A
28,838
United fund of Corry
4,000
Other Grants
30,590
Contract Services
57,513
RASA
143,097
VOJO
31,682
Donations/Fundraisers 146,236
TOTAL
$1,159,568
PREVENTION
E D U CAT I O N TO P I C S
•Bullying
•Cyberbulling
•Gambling
•Healthy/unhealthy relationships
•Home and community safety
•Identity theft
•Internet safety
•Personal trauma
•Reporting child abuse
•Sexual assault
•Sexual harassment
•Sexual harassment at work
•Teen empowerment
ou r donor
sig n sataund
r e e vent s
ANNUAL REPORT
2013
ou r donor s a nd e vent s
OUR DONORS
OUR DONORS
Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield Erie Insurance Group Knights Of St. John Building Association The Cascade Club Erie Community Foundation Mr. John & Dr. Erica Grazioli Erie Maennerchor Club First Niagara Bank HBK Sorce Financial LLC Penelec, A FirstEnergy Company Eriez Magnetics Schwab Hospitality Company The Zukor Club PNC Bank Marquette Savings Bank Northwest Savings Bank Widget Financial Gannon University Wells Fargo Ins SVCS USA, Inc. Lake Erie College of
Osteopathic Medicine Sandra Smith Lisa Anderson Arthur Martinucci Barbara Welton Lance Barclay Becky Torrey Meg Celidonia Candace Battles Chrissy Fortin Beth Burnside Daniel Sloppy Judith Pratt Barbara Cole Doug Bliley Dr. Maria Garase Shawn Waskiewicz Dr. Elisa Koneiczko Frank Kwitowski Lisa Bolte Jeff Haines Jeffrey Mennini Lincoln Elementary School James W. Martin & Family Bankable Consulting, LLC The Bert Company Eerie Roller Girls Times Publishing Siebenberger Club Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape Heidi Oldaker Dillon Loomis Emmanuel Episcopal Church Erie County Care Management Cascade Park Club Inc. VFW Post 470 Decision Associates LLC Hallman Chevrolet Beautiworks Joseph Bello John Heaps St. Luke School United Methodist Women at
First United Met Erie Gives Day 2013 yielded more than $10,000 for the
Crime Victim Center. The funds, more than triple previous
years’ totals for the initiative, were used for expansion of our
prevention education programs.
Doug Boldt Penn State University Senator Sean Wiley & Friends CMIT Solutions National Fuel Howard Hanna Company Our Lady of the Lake Church Coventina Day Spa Walmart Macdonald Illig Attorneys Quinn Law Firm Carol & Tony Finotti Mark & Leah Murphy Ernest & Elizabeth DiSantis Erin & Richard Pelinsky Mark J. Corey & Associates Lord Corporation Forte Marketing, LLC Shawn Waskiewicz Jackson Station William Mecca Cheryl & Chris Baldwin Adam Bell AJ & Dori Grack Roger Wolbert Bill & Barb Kelly Moonlight on the Bay 2013 raised more than $42,000!
On behalf of Honorary Chair Michele Ridge, Chair Couples
Mr. and Dr. John and Erica Grazioli, Mr. & Mrs. Jim and
Cheryl Martin, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Craige
Victor we extend a special thank you to our corporate
sponsors and the 400+ guess who joined us on Sept. 6 for a
delightful fall evening at the Perry Monument.
Donna Hixon Krista Jones Mary Kwiatkowski Attorney Tina Fryling Norm Zymm NAMI PA Michael Tkach Aimee Baumann Michael Gaines Donald McCain Fritz & Michelee Curtze Mark T. Amann Bianchi Motors, Inc. Erie Federal Credit Union Prints & More By Holly Suzanne Weidle Charles Scalise Michael Kasprzak Sheila Ardery Joanne Bello Rachel Wilkerson Lesia Stone Lee Rexrode Krauza Family Chiropractic Nancy Pierce Attorney Leslie Grey High Pressure Equipment Company, LLC Dale DeMarco Michele Ridge Mary Ferraro Northwest PA School Counselor Assn The Greengarden Tavern R A. Lumbowski John Dundon Evans Capital Management Julie Chacona Nancy Pianta-Orbanick Heather & Russell Hall Hubbard Bert Karle Weber, Inc. Morgan Stanley Erie Beer Company Gina Mannarelli-Agostine North East Middle School Amy Machinski Matt Chilcott Slovak National Club Robert Burton Erie Promotions & Expo, Inc. Mary F. Adiutori Enterprises Mary Weckesser Alice Koziel Melissa Eimers Colleen Pentycofe Leslie Soltesz GE United Way Campaign Jamie Magee Peggy Jones Jenna Clark Maria Continenza Jillane Lewis Abby Widdowson Adam Holquist Allan Turner Amy Blackman Evelyn Finnecy Patricia Riley Jeffrey Clorley Kathy Holquist Mark Nowak Mary Jo Schleicher Melanie Vadzemnieks Terrence Cavanaugh Nadean Sitter Patricia Starvaggi Paul Lukach Phyllis Aiello Rachel Rudd Roger Wolbert Connie Kerr Vogt Stephen Rosen Thomas NeCastro Tod Allen Mary Menegay William Nesbitt Jr. Walter Bartlett William Pithers William Morton Yvonne Baracka Terri Koebe Our third annual Cornhole Tournament was a huge
success. More than 50 teams went head-to-head in January
2013 at the Erie Maennerchor Club, generating nearly
$3,000 in contributions for the Crime Victim Center.
Jennifer Bach Jesse Antolik Jessie N. Thompson Joseph Zaczyk Kayla Mennini Keystone Research Corporation Kathleen Stoddart Kristie Chatt Bernadette Barclay James Semple Lorianne Feltz Louis Porreco Lynn Mack-Costello Kate Weber Mark & Laura Izzo Rebecca Jones Mary Lowry David Sydow Des & Debbie McDonald Chris & Vicki Lampe Colleen McCarthy Mike & Jill Faulkner Colleen Dixon Jack Daneri Peter & Charlene Correa Adam Bell Keynote speaker Elizabeth Smart captivated some 1,000
attendees of the Crime Victim Center’s 40th anniversary
celebration. Held at the Bayfront Convention Center on April
2, the event provided a powerful statement of the need for
increased awareness for victims of sexual assault.
Tina Fryling Peter Octavian Michael Tkach William Lechner Kevin Moore Linda Hackshaw Krista Jones Tim & Elizabeth McCormick Kathleen Wernicki Maureen Burgy Greg Lucas Kristen Yaple Richard McCarty Kaitlynn Stroehmeyer Shelley Cimino Daniel Beatty Tom Dawson Rob Burton Keith Varney Dan Blue Judith Zboyovski Sara Frye Peter & Leslie Mitchell Jennifer Snow Rick Gagnon Dana Zaphiris Brian Stoeger Erie Runners Club Megagrafix Presque Isle Printing Conway & O'malley Koldrock Waters Inc. Geiger Electric McCarty Printing Prints & More Bianchi Honda
The 2013 March Forth Against Crime 5K attracted
nearly 100 runners. Thanks to the dozens of participants
and volunteers who came out to Presque Isle on a chilly
March 3rd to help us raise awareness and funds for the
Crime Victim Center.
125 West 18th Street, Erie, PA 16501 • (814) 455-9414 • www.cvcerie.org