National Newsletter - Summer 2011

Recognizing the Special Volunteers Who Help So Many Victims

As you’ll read in this issue of MADD Matters, we hosted our National Victims’ Weekend and Candlelight Vigil of Hope and Remembrance a few weeks ago. It is always a tremendously emotional weekend; one that is filled with sadness and grief, as so many people come together to share their experiences and learn from one another. Yet, it also brings some small sense of solace. As many delegates have said, the loss and the pain are still there, but knowing there is support and understanding is a positive feeling that they carry home.

It was, as I experienced in my first Victims’ Weekend years ago, a sense of ‘family’. It was my MADD family, and I knew that I was not alone.

This support and understanding goes well beyond one single weekend. As members, donors and sponsors, you are well aware that supporting victims is MADD Canada’s most important work. But you may not know how, or by whom, that is done. So I want to take this opportunity to recognize our very special Victim Services Volunteers (VSVs).

Volunteers in many of our Chapters across the country are specially-trained to help victims try to deal with the loss of a loved one or with life-changing injuries. It is a difficult role that requires knowledge, empathy and formal training. MADD Canada’s VSVs must take a comprehensive face-to-face training program and must meet a number of requirements before giving of their ‘hearts’ to victims.

These volunteers offer a diverse range of service and support, depending on the victim’s needs at a given time. They may need emotional support; information and relevant resources;
court accompaniment; assistance in dealing with police, attorneys, probation and parole officers; or simply, someone to talk to, who will not judge or hold the victim to some preconceived notion of what their journey through grief should look like.

I remember how overwhelming it all was. The shock and pain of losing my son-in-law was ever-present. But still, we had to find our way through a police and court process which was  completely incomprehensible to us at the time. Through MADD Canada, we found the people who could help. At times, we needed resources or ideas on where we could find answers. At times, we needed advice on our rights as victims. At times, we just needed someone to hear us and let us know we were not alone.

On behalf of all MADD Canada’s members, volunteers, sponsors and donors, I thank the Victim Services Volunteers for their incredible passion and dedication. They are invaluable.

If you, or someone you know is a victim of impaired driving and needs the support of a VSV, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can call your local Chapter or Community Leader to find out whether there is a VSV in your area (visit www.madd.ca for a Chapter and Community Leader listing) or you can contact the National Office at 1-800-665-6233, ext. 222.


Denise Dubyk
National President

Welcome, new VSVs

In May, MADD Metro Vancouver Chapter and MADD Greater Fredericton Chapter hosted two Victim Services Volunteer (VSV) Level 2 trainings. A total of 28 volunteers were trained. These volunteers are committed to providing support to the victims in their communities and we thank them for accepting this very important role.

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