VSAC Member Testimonials
"My experience on the Victim/Survivor Advisory Council started on
my 35th birthday. That day I found out that I missed the deadline
for a civil suit against my perpetrator by a matter of hours, literally. I was blind with rage. I called a dear friend of mine to tell her
what had happened. She told me I might try calling Gail Burns-Smith
as she was putting together a committee of survivors who were looking
for a positive outlet for their feelings. I made the call and talked
to Gail and my life changed for the better there and then. I have
found a channel for my energy. I have spoken in public two times, I helped made a video for
Special Services, and participated in numerous brainstorming sessions
involving brochures, pamphlets, etc. I now know that I am not helpless
and as a result I can help myself and more importantly help others.
I don’t know where I would have gone or what I would have
done if this opportunity had not come up. Thank God I did not have
to find out."
"Working together with the people on VSAC has been a powerful, inspiring
experience. I am proud to be with these courageous people. Where
others try to shut me up, here my opinion is respected and valued.
We support each other in our individual projects as well as working
as a collective. Like sticks in a bundle, we are stronger together,
confronting sexual abuse, doing the right thing, making a positive
difference."
"When my daughter was sexually assaulted in
1994 we both began going to the Women’s Center CT for help.
I went for two reasons. First, to find out how I could help my
daughter and secondly, her assault had brought forth long-buried
anxiety about my own sexual assault that I had kept hidden for
7 years. I became so enraged at what had happened to myself and
my daughter that I could not find a constructive vent. In January
of 1995 my counselor suggested that I volunteer for a new committee
being formed by CONNSACS. This committee was called the Victims
Advisory Committee (VAC) at first. It was designed to assist CONNSACS
in helping victims. Its members were all victims. At last there
was a way to use my anger as a fuel for change and here I am 10
years later, no longer a victim but a survivor who has made a small
difference."
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