Deborah Lipp

Arthur’s senior year, he volunteered with the Rockland Family Shelter, in their SAEDA program (Student Activists Ending Dating Abuse). At the end of the school year, they had a Recognition Dinner, honoring their volunteers. Arth wanted to go, so I drove him and attended as his guest.

During the various speeches and presentations, I found out about their Rape Crisis program, in which volunteers go to the emergency room to advocate for and be with rape victims. Sometimes the volunteers meet the victim at the police department as well. And all I could think was “I gotta do that!” I mean, I was blown away. I had no idea such a program existed and it just seemed the most glorious work; brave and intense and needed and kind of enthralling.

(Arthur was bored out of his mind by the dinner, which was mostly older people, few SAEDA teens, no music, no dancing, and just generally not what a teen wants to do with his evening.)

Well, sometimes you think you’re going to do something and don’t get around to it, but with my only child going off to college, I was determined not to drop this ball.

The training course for Rape Crisis Counselors ran from October through mid-February, and we (the new RCCs) began volunteering immediately. I do three shifts a month, and am on the stand-by list. When there are open shifts, I take extra if I am available. With all of that, I have only done one emergency room visit, and one phone counseling call (both, ironically, when I was on stand-by; I have never received a call when I was actually on call). RFS does about 65 hospital calls a year; 1.25 a week, and there are 11 volunteer shifts a week, so you do the math. Nonetheless, when the need is there, it is incredibly real.

Last night was the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner. There I was, back again where this work began. It felt so wonderful and good.

And although it was more or less the same as last year; buffet-style food in a community center, volunteer entertainment, no dancing, I was thrilled and delighted to be there. I had warm conversations with the other volunteers from my RCC class, I enjoyed the slide show of people I knew and events I’d attended or heard about, and I was touched by the speeches.

I went home (soaking wet, caught in the rain) feeling warm and fulfilled and like I’d completed a beautiful circle. Which I have every intention of completing every year.