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The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), U.S. Department
of Justice, welcomes comments from the field, including written recognition
for our efforts. Below are full-length letters that
OVC has received. OVC reserves the right to
edit letters for length, style, and grammar.
Full-Length Letters
January 4, 2008
Mr. John Gillis
Director, Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mr. Gillis,
It was such a pleasure meeting you! I am so appreciative to Anne for bringing me to your office.
I certainly enjoyed our meeting. I am looking forward to working with you. Thank you so much for the information given regarding the H.O.P.E. grant. It really made my day!
Thank you for your time and acceptance!
Sincerely,
Mildred D. Muhammad
Executive Director,
After the Trauma, Inc.
Clinton, MD
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January 14, 2007
Mr. John Gillis
Director, Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mr. Gillis:
Happy New Year and I hope all is going well with you.
I just wanted to take a few minutes to let you know how the Franks Foundation's "Operation Fuzzy" program is flourishing, due in no small part to the HOPE grant being approved by the OVC. Enclosed is an article that ran in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, my hometown newspaper, about "Operation Fuzzy." In four short months, we have expanded our services to five Richmond area hospitals, four additional hospitals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as one hospital in Tennessee and one in West Virginia. None of this would have been possible if it weren't for the OVC's support. I am deeply thankful for the support my Foundation has received from you and your office.
Again, thank you!!
Polly Frank, Executive Director
The Franks Foundation
Richmond, VA
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February 18, 2005
Jeffrey Kerr
Program Specialist
Office for Victims of Crime
Christina Frank
Grants Specialist
Bureau of Advocacy and Grants Management
Florida Office of the Attorney General
Dear Christina [a grants specialist with the Florida Office of the Attorney
General] and Jeffrey [an OVC program manager],
On behalf on my family and myself, I wanted to express our thanks for
your assistance after the violent incident against my son here in Brevard
County, Florida. The system and process in Brevard County pretty much
failed due to a lack of communication, training, and understanding. But
after contacting both of you, the communication, contact, followup, empathy,
and assistance with this nightmare has been much improved and nothing
short of excellent.
We have been contacted and assisted by [Florida Victim Compensation
Specialist] Judith Rosetti in regard to the victim compensation claim
process, which will help with the bills for the hospital and physician.
You have also helped us by working to identify counseling assistance
for my son so he does not carry any of this forward in life, continues
to maintain a positive and productive attitude, and does not harbor any
hate or fear.
I realize our thanks may be very small in relationship to the problems
and workload you encounter every day, but the service you provided to
us—especially after the breakdown in service in Brevard—lifted
our spirits. We want to acknowledge you and your team for the valuable
and life-altering jobs you do.
I hope both of you are able to continue to provide direction and support,
and perhaps train folks in Brevard County so that they can provide a
level of service equal to what you have provided.
Jeffrey, thanks for directing me to Christina here in Florida. Christina,
thanks for helping me and directing me to Judith Rosetti.
Sincerely,
Vinnie Morris and Family
Melbourne, FL
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September 2004
Mr. John Gillis
Office for Victims of Crime
810 Seventh Street, Eighth Floor
Washington, DC 20531
Dear John:
On behalf of the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC) and
the Dallas Police Department, we would like to extend warm appreciation
for your support of the 2004 Crimes Against Children Conference, held
August 23-26, 2004. The conference was a tremendous success. A record-breaking
2,310 participants benefited from the vital information shared in the
conference's workshops. Attendees represented local, state, and
federal law enforcement, child protective services, district attorneys' offices,
social workers, medical personnel, children's advocacy centers,
therapists, and other related fields.
Your participation as a supporter was instrumental in making the 2004
Crimes Against Children Conference so successful. Thanks to your support,
the participants have been equipped with the most current techniques,
procedures, and protocols needed to investigate and prosecute crimes
against our most vulnerable citizens.
A final report of the 2004 Crimes Against Children Conference is being
compiled and will be sent to your attention as soon as possible. Traditionally,
we like to send conference T-shirts to our sponsors, but this year the
T-shirts were such a hit that we sold out of every single one! Included
is a DCAC baseball cap instead. Please let us know if you have questions
or would like more information. We look forward to your involvement in
the 2005 Crimes Against Children Conference on August 15-18. Mark your
calendar now. Thank you for helping make a difference in the lives of
children across the Nation.
Sincerely,
Lieutenant Bill Walsh
Dallas Police Department
Helen C. Holman
President and CEO
Dallas Children's Advocacy Center
Stephanie M. Bernal
Vice President of Development
Dallas Children's Advocacy Center
Sandra Johnson
CAC Conference Director
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August 18, 2004
Mr. John Gillis
Director, Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mr. Gillis:
Thank you for presenting at the 19th National Conference on Preventing
Crime in the Black Community, June 9-12, 2004, in Orlando, Florida.
Feedback indicates that this year's conference was another resounding
success. Much of this success can be directly attributed to the commitment
and support we received from committed individuals like you. The partnership
and teamwork allowed us to meet the challenges of developing and implementing
a very productive program for a very diverse group of participants.
It also provided a unique opportunity for participants to share their
views and experiences on relevant issues in the African-American community.
Nearly 2,000 participants, including 600 youths, were in attendance.
They came from 25 difference states, the District of Columbia, Canada,
the Virgin Islands, Nigeria, and, for the first time, the United Kingdom.
I look forward to your continued support.
Sincerely,
Charlie Crist, Attorney General
State of Florida
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August 18, 2004
John W. Gillis, Director
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office for Victims of Crime
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
RE: Helping Outreach Programs to Expand
Dear Mr. Gillis:
On behalf of the chairman of the board, the executive officers, and
church volunteers, we kindly thank you for awarding us a $5,000 grant.
We appreciate the opportunity to expand our crime victim assistance
services to the city of Prichard, Alabama. This grant will help us create
a mass media campaign, recruit more volunteers, and leverage resources
and dollars from other church congregations, businesses, and residents
for the continuing support of our program. This program to help provide
a safe and caring community is sorely needed in this area.
We are looking forward to making a difference and support the efforts
of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sincerely,
Norvel Glover, Pastor
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church
Prichard, AL
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May 25, 2004
Mary R. Atlas-Terry
Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mary:
Our National Crime Victims' Rights Week was a wonderful success. We are grateful to OVC for awarding us the funds to create the Grove of Hope as a lasting memorial for all victims. I wanted you to see some of the materials we used as well as a few photos of the trees and the event. I also enclosed a copy of an "after-action" report.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Pamela S. Wessel, MSSW
Executive Director
Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children
Waco, TX
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April 25, 2004
Mr. John Gillis, MPA
Director
Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mr. Gillis:
The Survivors for Violence Prevention, Inc., would like to extend our
heartiest thanks for your participation in the sixth annual Survivors
conference. Your presentation provided conference attendees with important
insights and information.
We are turning our attention to developing a conference report. The
report will include summary data taken from the evaluation forms that
we collected, as well as anecdotal comments and observations of select
attendees. This data will aid our attempts to make the seventh annual
conference even better!
Your presentation during the conference provided important information
about initiatives that are underway at the Office of Justice Programs.
The range of questions and the passion of the attendees were evident
during the question-and-answer period following your enlightening speech.
It is important for community-based professionals and survivors to gain
insight into the many efforts underway to provide intervention services
that can curb violence in our community and support victims and survivors.
Thank you again for your participation.
Sincerely,
Helen J.M. Bassett, Coordinator
Survivors for Violence Prevention, Inc.
Golden Valley, MN
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March 31, 2004
John W. Gillis, Director
Office for Victims of Crime
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
Dear Mr. Gillis:
I want to thank you very much for providing financial support to the Office of the District Attorney in Sonoma County to help promote National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The District Attorney's Victims Assistance Center sponsored a luncheon on April 19 and a vigil for victims of crime on April 21.
Without the support of the Department of Justice, we would not be able to put on this important event to "heighten the sensitivity of the impact of crime on victims" (President Ronald Reagan). As District Attorney, I recognize the importance of ensuring that victims are treated with respect and dignity. National Crime Victims' Rights Week helps recognize victims for the difficult struggles they face in dealing with the impact of crime and informs them of the services available in our community.
Again, thank you very much for awarding our office this grant.
Sincerely,
Stephan R. Passalacqua
District Attorney
Santa Rosa, CA
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