Anne’s Volunteer Experience:
Our Impact on the Community
"I have always liked to help people wherever and whenever I could. I started teaching 2nd and 3rd grade but after moving to Vermont, I switched gears and started doing social work.
Through the Maternal Child Health Department of the Visiting Nurse Association, I visited families who were at high risk for abuse and neglect in their homes. I loved my job, it was never boring and I learned new skills like active listening! So after retiring from VNA in the fall of 1999, I decided to volunteer with Steps to End Domestic Violence and thought working on their hotline was a perfect fit!
I was happy that there was an organization to assist those who suffered abuse while involved in a 'romantic' relationship. It doesn't matter whether you identify as male or female, are better off financially or economically deprived, educated or not; domestic violence can affect all walks of life.
Working on the hotline we can listen with empathy to those who just need to be listened to or we can steer them to one of our programs that would best fit their needs.
Steps to End Domestic Violence is fortunate enough to have many programs to assist the community in several ways. Aside from the hotline, Legal Advocates are well trained to help service users navigate the legal system and the Children's Program offers stability while providing fun ways to heal and properly respond to stress. I have only mentioned a few of the programs but they all provide a necessary component to improving the lives of those so badly scarred by domestic violence."