CARBONDALE – The City of Carbondale 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 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
The City of Carbondale, in partnership with the Carbondale Public Library and the Office of the Jackson County State’s Attorney, will use the award funding to create a mass media campaign across Southern Illinois as part of a Community Awareness Project. In addition, promotional flyers and materials will be provided to service providers throughout the area to increase the awareness of resources available to crime victims. The Project is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, an annual observance that takes place April 21-27, 2024. The 2024 theme How Would You Help? Options, services and hope for crime survivors ask regional residents how they would assist a crime survivor who has asked for help.
“The support from NAVAA and OVC for our 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week awareness campaign will help us, all of us, help crime survivors,” stated Dianah McGreehan, Director of Violence Prevention Programs for the City of Carbondale. “Members of our community are encouraged to help promote justice and healing throughout the 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by creating awareness of all the victim assistance programs available throughout the Southern Illinois region.”
The Carbondale library will promote the 2024 NCVRW with a special selection section of books dedicated to amplifying the voices of crime victims. On Thursday, April 25th, the Carbondale Public Library will also host a special three hour writing workshop focused on empowering the voices of crime victims/survivors. Registration for the workshop is required and seating is limited. To register, click here or email email Dianah McGreehan at dmcgreehan@explorecarbondale.com. The City of Carbondale will end the week with the Carbondale Community Healing Picnic at the downtown Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will be able to learn more about services available throughout the region while enjoying a free community meal and entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.
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. Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 1500 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. The City of Carbondale was one of the 105 recommended by NAVAA and selected for funding by OVC for 2024 from the 223 applications that were submitted nationwide.
For additional information about 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities, please contact Dianah McGreehan, Director for Violence Prevention Programs for the City of Carbondale at 618-457-3282. To learn more about victims services throughout the region, please visit the Office of the Jackson County State’s Attorney website. For information about national efforts to promote 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at 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.