Roberta DeRosier of Estevan has volunteered with many different organizations in the southeast over the years. Each organization has brought fulfillment and enjoyment in its own way.
But she will tell you the most rewarding organization she has ever worked with is Southeast Regional Victim Services.
“You get to help people when they need it the most,” DeRosier said in an interview with Lifestyles. “When they have experienced the most traumatic of events, and you get to be there to help them, then that is by far the most rewarding (experience).”
She is one of Victim Services’ most tenured volunteers, having served with the organization for the past 14 years. During that time, she has helped many people during times of sorrow, crisis and anguish.
“I underestimated how good of an experience it would be,” she said. “You can’t even describe how awesome it is to be able to help people at that point.”
Southeast Regional Victim Services provides crisis response and support services to people who have been victimized by a crime, or have witnessed a crime. They are also there for families who have suffered the sudden death of a loved one through vehicle and other accidents.
“We work with pretty much everything,” said Terri Campbell, who is the assistant co-ordinator for Southeast Regional Victim Services. “It could be a fraud, a break-and-enter or a murder.”
DeRosier is quick to add that a traumatic event isn’t just the really serious, high-profile incidents that lead to a loss of life or a serious injury. A theft can be traumatic as well, particularly for a senior.
Campbell works out of the Estevan office at the Estevan Police Service building, and is responsible for the eastern half of Victim Services’ jurisdiction. There are three volunteers in Estevan, two in Carlyle and one in Carnduff.
Tara Busch, who works out of the Weyburn office, is the co-ordinator for Southeast Regional Victim Services, and oversees the volunteers for the western half of the region.
Campbell has been at the helm of Victim Services’ Estevan office for four years, and brings many years of social work experience to the job. Prior to coming to Estevan, she lived in Manitoba, and worked with Child and Family Services, and in a group home for youth with behavioural issues.
After she relocated to Estevan, she saw a newspaper advertisement for a co-ordinator for the Estevan office. Even though she didn’t have any experience with Victim Services in her previous work, she applied and was hired.
Campbell was drawn to the job because of the opportunity to work with and support victims. There was also the allure of working alongside the police and working with the justice system.
She is tasked with a lot of the court responsibilities within the organization.
“When somebody needs to go to court, it’s a scary thing for a lot of people,” said DeRosier. “So Terri, or any one of us, but usually Terri will take the person in, tell them what to expect. They can look at the courtroom … and then she will be there with them when there is court.”
Volunteers like DeRosier will often be the ones who are sent to console victims and their families following vehicle accidents and other traumatic events.
Victim Services will also connect victims and witnesses with other agencies in the region so they can receive counselling and have other needs met.
Follow-up meetings are a big part of their efforts.
“We’re constantly following up with victims,” said Campbell. “That’s probably a huge part of our caseload. Sometimes … we connect with them, and we assess when we talk to them. If they don’t further need our services, then we let it go.
“But a lot of people need us for a long time, even if we have connected them with counselling, because we develop relationships with victims right off the hop when we get called with police, and a lot of the times they’re connecting with us, or we’re connecting with them down the road.”
Volunteers need to be compassionate individuals, with a willingness to listen and the instincts for how they should react to a client’s needs. Victim Services currently has 13 volunteers spread throughout the region, but they are always looking for more.
Prospective volunteers need to submit an application and then go through an interview.
“It wouldn’t be just with me. It would be with the other volunteers that I have on as well, because we all work as a team,” said Campbell.
Once someone is selected, they will receive extensive training.
“A lot of people have experience, whether it’s their own trauma or other people’s trauma, and that’s one thing that we need to be careful of, is that they’re not bringing that with them when they’re coming into the field,” said Campbell.
“We don’t ever want somebody talking about their own issues if they’ve ever experienced something similar to a victim.”
Campbell usually handles the calls that come in during office hours. Volunteers alternate shifts during the evenings and on weekends.
DeRosier said there will be busy days when she will get multiple calls, but there will also be shifts when she doesn’t get a call.
“Some calls take more time than others, too, depending on the nature of it and the need,” said DeRosier.
From March 2015 until this past June, their caseload was increasing significantly, as they had around 30 referrals each month. The average for July and August was 10 to 15 referrals.
There are a couple ways that someone can seek assistance from Victim Services. If they are a victim of a crime, they can tell police they want to speak with a Victim Services person. Or they can call the Estevan Police Service at 306-634-4767, or Campbell directly at 306-634-8040.
“A good example of that … is witnesses,” said DeRosier. “Sometimes witnesses won’t be involved with the police if they witnessed a traumatic event. So they can phone in.”
For a little more than a year, Victim Services has also enjoyed the assistance of a four-legged friend, Beaumont, a black Labrador who works out of the Weyburn office with Busch. Campbell said Beaumont and Busch makes trips to Estevan, and Beaumont is an invaluable resource for people in need.
“If somebody comes in and they’re extremely emotional and hysterical because something major just happened, he is that comfort dog who comes in, and immediately just brings their blood pressure down.”
Victim Services will check to make sure people don’t have a problem with dogs before bringing Beaumont in, but he’s amazing with children, and very helpful for people who are appearing in court for preliminary hearings and trials.
“When we go to court, and kids, or anybody, have to testify, it’s so nerve-wracking, but when we have him, he is just a huge asset,” said Campbell. “He’s just wonderful.”
Beaumont can also provide that calming presence when victims are providing a police statement.
While Campbell, Busch and the Victim Services volunteers handle some difficult situations, sometimes their smallest gestures make a big difference. DeRosier cited the example of a man whose daughter died in a vehicle accident. When he tried to light a cigarette, he couldn’t, because he was trembling so much.
“That simple act was all he needed right then,” said DeRosier. “Sometimes it’s something complicated, but sometimes it’s just that simple thing that means the world to somebody.”
DeRosier says people have told her they can’t imagine being a Victim Services volunteer, due to the demanding nature of the work. But she counters by telling them it has been such a rewarding experience, and she has been able to help a lot of people. And sometimes she has been able to help people she knows, which makes the experience even better.
