Our volunteers give several nights and weekends a month just to answer a stranger’s call for help. A crisis line volunteer offers a kind heart and a listening ear to any caller in the grips of some new or old pain. At a moment’s notice, an advocate suspends all other activity to meet with an assault victim at the police station or the hospital ER. Who are these people? To learn more about them, we recently interviewed a few of them, and here is what they had to say.
ASTOP: Why did you begin volunteering for us?
Sal: I saw an advert, and I thought, I wonder if I could do that.
McKenna: Volunteering is a big part of my life.
Kathy: I was new in town and needed volunteer opportunities to fill my time.
Sally: I wanted to walk alongside others to support them, to listen to them, to encourage them, and get them resources they may not know are available to them, some for free.
ASTOP: What has surprised you about your work for ASTOP?
Sal: The positive relationship between the hospital, police, and ASTOP.
Kathy: I learned how calm I can be with someone in a crisis.
Sally: The way more male victims have come forward, how great the prevention educator is who goes into the schools, and the teamwork that happens at ASTOP.
ASTOP: How do you feel after you have assisted a client?
Sal: Peaceful. Alarmed. Humble. Satisfied.
Kathy: I feel the satisfaction of having helped someone through a difficult time in their life.
Sally: I was taught not to be prideful or boast about what I did but God has allowed me to go through a horrendous trauma, which has enabled me to help others get grounded and not follow through on negative thoughts and plans
ASTOP: What was hard about volunteering during the pandemic?
Sal: Nothing. It made me more determined to volunteer, so the survivor had support.
Kathy: It seemed to me that too many kids were getting abused during that time.
Sally: The pandemic had to be the hardest on our clients. A lot of them enjoyed going out to eat, for a walk, playing cards with their friends, etc., and they were afraid to.
ASTOP: What do you think is a common myth about sexual abuse?
Sal: Abusers are strangers.
McKenna: Abuse is the survivor’s fault. Men can’t be assaulted.
Sally: She asked for it because of what she was wearing.
ASTOP: What do you like most about your work for ASTOP?
Sal: Receiving positive feedback from survivors and their families.
McKenna: Helping someone who really needs it.
Sally: Getting our clients grounded during crisis calls.
ASTOP: What is the hardest part about being a volunteer?
McKenna: Being afraid I might do the wrong thing.
Linda: When a small child is involved under the age of 7: I cry after each one.
ASTOP: What would you tell a potential volunteer?
Sal: Talk to anyone in the ASTOP office; they will guide you.
Kathy: Don’t overthink it. Just do it. You’ll be surprised at the good you can do.
Sally: You don’t come in blind. There is training. We are not counselors but we can give victims resources and much more. Volunteering is a way to walk alongside someone and listen.
If you would like to volunteer for ASTOP, send an email to [email protected]
In 1988 the entire Fond du Lac community was shocked to hear of the suicide of an 11-year-old girl. Later they learned that she and four younger siblings had been
suffering from repeated physical, mental and/or sexual abuse. Tragically, Victoria had reached her limit.
People’s shock soon turned to grief and grief, to action. Research was done and a needs assessment completed. During this time a glaring fact surfaced: after reporting an assault, survivors had to wait another 6-8 weeks before they could even begin counseling. So great was the backlog of those needing help.
Finally, in 1992, ASTOP was established. It became a place of assistance, treatment, and outreach for survivors of sexual assault, as well as prevention education for school groups and the general public.
Thirty years later, ASTOP services reach the populations of three counties: Fond du Lac, Green Lake, and Waushara.