20th Anniversary Launch coming up, new video, and summer staff update

1999 - 2019 – Celebrating Caring Response and Victim Support
We are launching our 20th Anniversary celebrations at our Annual General Meeting on the evening of Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Make sure you mark your calendars now and keep an eye out for your official invitation. We look forward to a special get-together as we celebrate our milestones and evolution over the past two decades.

NSVS Board members Heather Harmer and Brian Adams award Irene (middle) for her 15 years of volunteer service with NSVS. A number of very compassionate and dedicated volunteers were celebrated at the annual recognition event held on June 20. Visit our Facebook page to view more photos.

Welcome to our summer student!

We are pleased to introduce Cassidy Thurston as part of the NSVS team for the summer. Originally from Bobcaygen, Ontario, Cassidy is currently a third year student in the Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science - Criminology program at Lakehead University. She will be responsible for helping out with a variety of tasks, including the organization's social media presence and client support. "I'm looking forward to broadening my horizons within the community and learning more about prevention and support strategies," says Cassidy. Welcome to the team, Cassidy!

Quinlan, Michaela and Nic (l to r) were part of the lifeguard team that took part in a recent emergency management training session.
In June, NSVS on-call volunteers Mike and Faye participated in a mock exercise at Moose Beach as part of the City of Orillia's annual training for lifeguards. As a follow-up, NSVS Executive Director Frances Yarbrough conducted a de-briefing discussion with lifeguards to familiarize them with the potential impact of an emergency and to review the role of Victim Services in providing support.

As part of our evaluation of services, we have conducted surveys with our volunteers, first responder partners and clients. The findings will help to provide direction for NSVS services and partnerships. The results are currently being compiled and based on the initial review, the information will be extremely helpful. Here is a sneak peek at what you’ve had to say.
Volunteers
• Volunteers reported that the work they do for NSVS not only gives them a moral sense of accomplishment by helping others, but also helps them develop skills they can use in their workplace settings.
• Many volunteers suggested improving the access and process for debriefing after a call.
First Responders
• Police officers reported benefiting from having NSVS staff attend briefings and suggested additional connections such as attending NSVS volunteer training.
• Suggestion to simplify the process of email referrals.
• Suggestion for NSVS quarterly newsletters with statistics, as well as phrase cards.
Clients
• Services are frequently refused because individual is overwhelmed at time of crisis.
• Suggestion for improved follow-up strategies to ensure connection and offer of service and/or support at a later date.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this important task – your feedback is valuable. We look forward to sharing final results and recommendations once all surveys have been reviewed.

September 25 – NSVS AGM and launch of 20th Anniversary celebrations.