CULLMAN, Ala. – Victim Services of Cullman has received funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
The awarded funding will be used as part of a Community Awareness Project in Cullman County. The Project is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, an annual observance that takes place April 19-25, 2020. This year’s planned events will take place after the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
“The support from NAVAA and OVC for our 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities will help us help crime victims,” said Victim Services Executive Director Carol Horstman. “Members of our community are encouraged to help promote justice through service to crime victims by joining our 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities and supporting victim assistance programs on a daily basis.”
First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “Seek Justice, Ensure Victims’ Rights, and Inspire Hope”
Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 977 community projects that promote victim and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Victim Services of Cullman was one of the 109 recommended by NAVAA and selected for funding by OVC for 2020 from the 262 applications that were submitted nationwide.
For additional information about 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Cullman County, please contact Victim Services 256-775-2600, or visit www.victimservicesofcullman.com. For information about national efforts to promote 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, visit the Office for Victims of Crime www.ovc.gov.
The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distribute money from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund to more than 4,000 direct victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes from fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes and not from U.S. taxpayers.
