Statements
Mission
To engage and empower victims and citizens in the effort to reduce violent crime.
Background
Tennessee Voices for Victims was founded by Verna Wyatt and Valerie Craig who have over 50 years of combined experience of assisting victims and addressing crime in our communities. Verna started this work when she lost her best friend and sister-in-law to homicide. Valerie was called into this work shortly after graduating college when she was asked to oversee a program that provided services to victims of crime who were 55 and older. Both recognize the value of providing direct services as well as being proactive in preventing crime. To this end, TVFV's works with victims and survivors of violent crime as well as the offenders and those who have caused violence but want to be responsible.
Impact
TVFV has proved its need in the community over and over again. During 2019, we: 1. Presented 144 presentations in our community on a variety of crime and justice topics including child abuse, domestic violence, sexting, cyberbullying, and sexual assault. We educated over 4,600 participants through these programs. 2. Responded to calls from victims of crime who were experiencing difficulty with the justice system. These calls came from people throughout the state. 3. Lead a statewide initiative to improve the response to victims in mass violence events. 4. Numerous collaborations including: Subcommittee for Governor Lee's Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform, Tennessee Children's Justice Task Force, Tennessee's Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision, Committee for the State Season to Remember, Committee for the Davidson County Season to Remember, Chair of Davidson County's Crime Victims' Rights Week event.
Obviously, 2020 forced a huge shift in our ability to complete our program activities. Public presentations, including our victim impact classes, came to a halt. However, other projects picked up including the creation of statewide protocols for responding to victims of mass violence events. These protocols were developed under the leadership of a Statewide Mass Violence Advisory Council assembled and led by TVFV.
Needs
Like most non-profits, our primary need is financial support. Without it, we can't do all the things we want to do for the victims in our community. Following financial support, here are our most pressing needs:1) We need people to connect with us. The best way to do this is through our newsletter and Facebook page.2) We want to be connected with victims and survivors who either need our assistance or who are ready to share their stories so they can encourage others and influence change.
CEO Statement
The founders of Tennessee Voices for Victims (TVFV) worked together for ten years, addressing victim issues throughout the state, before forming this non-profit. Together, they have presented thousands of awareness presentations on crime related topics. They have a proven reputation in Tennessee for supporting victim advocacy work, giving victims of crime a voice, and helping victims overcome the aftermath of crime. Using relationships they have formed in the victim advocacy arena, TVFV is working to connect victims, law enforcement, and advocates of all crime to focus on crime and justice related issues. These connections will grow to become one large voice for these concerns in Tennessee. There is no other agency in Tennessee building this kind of coalition. TVFV is building a statewide speakers bureau. There's power in the story of a survivor. Power for the "teller", and power for the "hearer". There is no other agency in Tennessee doing this. TVFV has pulled together individuals with incredible knowledge and expertise to help guide the organization and address issues across the State. TVFV has formed a statewide advisory council comprised of people who have vast experience in crime/justice issues and the Board of Directors is comprised of individuals who have decades of experience related to victims issues. As victim advocates, TVFV founders began national cutting edge work with offenders in Tennessee. They recognized the need to prevent crime by addressing perpetrators of crime. They are the only victim advocates in the State of Tennessee who have 14 years of weekly hands on experience working with incarcerated men, women and teen girls and who continue to be in the classroom each week with incarcerated men and women. Using their 14 years of personal hands-on experience, they have created a victim impact curriculum for prisons and jails modeled from the evidenced-base victim impact curriculum of the Office of Victims of Crime. Their classroom facilitation experience gives them credibility to "train the trainer" for jails and prison who want to introduce victim impact programming. TVFV know that 95% of those incarcerated will return to our communities. If we are serious about preventing crime, attention must be focused on the people we KNOW are capable of creating victims - the offenders. There's no one better to address the offender, than victim advocates who understand the dynamics of victimization.
Board Chair Statement
As President of Tennessee Voices for Victims, I am proud to be affiliated with an organization that is well-known as a victim rights advocacy organization, but which also recognizes the complicated space of victimization and the factors leading to crime. Many of the board members, including myself, have themselves been a victim of crime or have experienced the impacts of crime through a close family member. Because of this close personal connection to the mission of Tennessee Voices for Victims, our board takes significant interest is the activities and future goals of the organization. From a governance perspective, I believe we are well positioned to continue to move forward in the victim rights space, and because of our unique perspective(s), we also have the opportunity to pave the way for restorative justice practices in Nashville and beyond. In terms of challenges we face, I believe the biggest challenge is finding the right mix of board members, who care deeply about the mission of the organization, but also have experience and aptitude for developing strategic long term goals and fundraising in a significant manner. Because our board members and executive staff collectively have accrued a huge amount of understanding and knowledge around victim advocacy work in Tennessee, I believe we must expand the organization's ability to positively impact people's lives by continuing to grow and fundraise. Further, our executive staff takes on a large number of responsibilities and obligations, and in the future, I think we need to consider as an organization how to include board members in a more meaningful way in the shaping of our long term strategic goals.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Victims' Services |
| Secondary Category: | Crime & Legal - Related - Rehabilitation Services for Offenders |
| Tertiary Category: | Education - Alliances & Advocacy |
Areas Served
TVFV's offices are located in middle Tennessee. However, we have a statewide presence as we work with advocates, survivors and victims throughout the state.
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| National |
