United States Attorney Will Thompson is inviting survivors and their loved ones to the 2023 Crime Victims Assistance Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the West Virginia State Capitol.
The ceremony is part of Operation Reach Out and follows up on National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s theme is “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change,” which calls upon communities to amplify the voices of survivors and commit to creating an environment where survivors have the confidence that they will be heard, believed, and supported.
The May 9 ceremony will feature a special Tree of Remembrance. Victims and survivors are encouraged to sign cards and place them on the tree as part of the ceremony in remembrance of a loved one or for themselves as a survivor. Cards will be available at the ceremony and are also on the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week resource page of the Southern District of West Virginia website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/national-crime-victims-rights-week.
The ceremony’s featured speakers include Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tera Salango, whose brother was murdered when she was 16, and Angie Conn, a human trafficking survivor, victim advocate and founder of SheWhoDares Consulting LLC. Several individuals and organizations will be honored for their service, support and advocacy on behalf of crime victims and survivors.
The ceremony will be held on the south steps of the West Virginia Capitol, near Kanawha Boulevard, or outside the Senate Chamber in the event of inclement weather.
Operation Reach Out is a collaborative effort involving local advocacy programs that raise awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and of the various organizations that provide services to crime victims. The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.
More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw
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