In her quest to cope with her own devastating experience, one local woman has discovered the strength that she never knew she had.Nancy Friggle, of Lincoln University, has been a volunteer with the Crime Victims' Center of Chester County, Inc. for over two years, providing much-needed support to victims of crime and violence.

 

CVC is a non-profit organization that provides free and confidential services to victims, their family members and significant others who reside in or were victimized in Chester County.

Friggle said she was inspired to join CVC when she was searching for help to deal with a tragic event that occurred in her own family. In 2004, Friggle discovered that a close family member had been sexually molested from the time she was 4 years old until her 11th birthday.

Friggle said she didn't feel like there was anyone to help her and her family cope with what happened. That's when she started doing research and found CVC.

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"I wanted to get involved so if anything happens to anyone else, I can help them through it," said Friggle.

CVC, also known as the Rape Crisis Council of Chester County, Inc., is the designated Sexual Assault Center for Chester County and provides services to victims of all types of crime and violence including-but not limited to-rape, sexual assault, incest, sexual harassment, child abuse, elder abuse, homicide, assault, robbery, identity theft, drunk driving, stalking and bullying.

"All the volunteers and employees really care and are very involved," said Friggle of CVC. "They want to be there for their clients."

Now a senior-level volunteer, Friggle said she had to complete 60 hours of training before she could even interact with clients.

According to Friggle, the training was extensive and included information on how to talk to people who were victimized and also how to stay motivated and not become depressed as a result of having to interact with so much negativity.

The training ended with a written test and role-playing exercises with full-time CVC employees, said Friggle. If they pass, students become junior volunteers and are able to go out on call with a CVC employee. After three outings, volunteers become senior volunteers and can go out on call on their own.

For one night each week, Friggle is on call into the morning hours to take calls from victims in need.

"Sometimes you're just talking to people, and sometimes people need support or need you to accompany them to the police station or hospital," said Friggle.

Friggle said the hardest part of her volunteer work is not being able to give people the answers they want, though she does her best to reassure clients and their families.

"Being there for them is the easy part, the hard part is having to look them in the eye and not being able to tell them what's going to happen next," she said.

Since she joined CVC, Friggle said she has learned a lot about herself as a volunteer.

I have more strength than I thought," she said. "I didn't know if I could do it but it helped me deal with what happened [to my family member]. It keeps me from having to go back and relive the past."

Currently, the CVC is in need of dedicated volunteers to provide hotline counseling and direct services to victims of crime in Chester County. The organization relies heavily on volunteers during the evening and weekend hours.

Friggle said the CVC is looking for anyone that might be interested in volunteering, no matter their age or availability.

"You're stronger than you think, and you don't have to over-volunteer yourself," said Friggle, who's schedule only allows her to dedicate one day a week to volunteering. "I got more back than what I hoped for, and now I want to give back to others."

The next volunteer sexual assault counselor training class begins Sept. 4. Trainings are held in West Chester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and run for 10 weeks.

For more information about services offered and volunteer opportunities please call 610-692-1926 or e-mail volunteer@cvcofcc.org.