Victim Services looking for more volunteers

For decades, a program with the Grand Junction Police Department has been helping victims through tough times.

The Victim Services department has been helping folks for years get through traumatic times in their lives but now it's asking for help from the community in the form of needed volunteers.

"There are times where I can really tell I made a difference in someone's life" says Cheryl Raposa, Volunteer Victims Advocate for the Grand Junction Police Department.

The Victim Services department has been a part of Grand Junction Police for over 20 years providing a range of assistance to those who find themselves in a bad situation.

"That could be to provide crisis intervention, explain to them their rights as victims, or to provide some community resource information to them" explained Mary Harmeling, Victim Services Coordinator for the Grand Junction Police Department.

This department and its services wouldn't exist without the help of its 20 volunteers.

"I can't say enough about our volunteers because they really are the backbone of this program" said Harmeling.

Raposa moved to Grand Junction and got involved with Victim Services. She has now been helping victims for two and a half years.

When she's called to a scene, she says she learns something new from each experience and knows she's making a difference in people's lives.

"It didn't seem like much on the surface… that I was really doing anything to help her, but I think she appreciated having someone just to listen to her and I certainly learned a lot from her that day" explained Raposa.

All of the victims leave their mark but Raposa says there are some she'll never forget.

"It involved a teenage girl who had been battered and I left the scene crying because it just touched my heart so much" said Raposa.

The program is looking for more volunteers and Harmeling says they're looking for people wanting to make a difference.

"What’s important is that you really have a desire to give back to the community and a heart of compassion for people that are having some of the roughest days of their lives."

Volunteers help people ranging from children to the elderly. If you're interested in going through training and becoming a volunteer for Victim Services, you can give them a call at 549-5290. Volunteers must be 21 or older.