By Ashley Wiebe

Victim Assistance Unit relies on volunteer support

Dec 6, 2016 | 12:00 AM

MEDICINE BHAT, AB — “You really are seeing people at their deepest, or highest, level of frustration that they could have,” said Barry O’Donnell.

O’Donnell was an out of work oil field worker when he heard about the opportunity to volunteer with the Victim Assistance Unit.

“I was actually surprised to find out how rewarding that this actually is and especially once I started meeting people where I felt like I made a real connection with them,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

O’Donnell and the 35 other volunteers with the unit are called out to different situations to help victims at the centre of a police matter.

Program manager, Bobbi Jo Walker says police are busy dealing with the scene, while volunteers are able to focus all of their attention on the victims and their needs.

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“Sometimes it’s really a confusing time and people just need just someone to be there and sit with them,” she said. “Sometimes, until family comes, sometimes they need practical things like someone to make them tea.”

“You’re dealing with the raw emotions,” said O’Donnell.

The Victim Assistance Unit is driven by volunteers, who are called out to help in numerous situations, including domestic abuse and homicides.

Inspector Brent Secondiak said they take on a role the officers can’t.

“They truly fill a gap that we haven’t and can’t fill,” he said. “They’re truly the liaison between what happens when the police show up at a scene and what happens at court.”

Some scenes can be traumatic for the people involved.

Volunteers, like O’Donnell, are trained to read the situation and if the victim doesn’t want their support, they’ll be there if they change their mind.

“You don’t even realize you need it when you’re in the moment,” Walker said. “So we’re there and if the victim doesn’t need us, then we leave. And we stay for as long as they need us.”

Maybe it’s for a few hours, or a few years. Volunteers also help victims navigate through the justice system.

Being that shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to is even more rewarding than O’Donnell could have imagined.

“I think when you feel like you actually make a connection and you feel like you made a difference, that’s when it really hits you and sinks in on how worthwhile this all is,” he said.

For more information on volunteering with the Victim Assistance Unit, click here, or email Bobbi Jo directly at bobbi-jo.walker@mhps.ca