'88

Friday, May 17, 1985

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Kathy Pont offers advice over the telephone
as co-volunteer Marilyn Hartz watches.

Victims'
Hot Line

Victim Service Council volun-
teers are on duty 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Mondays and Wednesdays and 9
a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and
Thursdays. An answering machine
will provide a 24-hour, emergency
phone number when the office is
closed. To reach the council, call
258-9355.

P I NG WIT HI ME

BY TEDD SCHNEIDER

•

Staff Writer

The victim needs to know that
there is somebody on their side," said
Doris Lazar, a volunteer for the coun-
cil. She feels that emotional support is
especially important in cases where
there is little evidence for law
enforcement officials to work with
and "the police may have told the vic-
timized person that there is almost no
hope of catching the perpetrator."
The current crop of volunteers
, was recruited through a notice in the
NCJW bulletin and "by word of

mouth," according to the project's
coordinator. "People heard that a new
agency was forming and they wanted
to get in on the ground floor." The
only requirement was that they be
NCJW members.
Although she hasn't ruled out fu-
ture expansion plans for the program,
Granader says additional volunteers
are not needed at this time.
• The Victim Service Council cur-
rently operates on an outreach basis,

Continued on Page 56

Bob McKeown

A group
of NCJW
volunteers
helps area
victims pull
their lives
back
together.

There were 69,120 crimes re-
ported in Oakland County during
1984, which means that there were
69,120 people who could have used
Lois Granader's help. This year,
they'll be able to get it.
Granader is coordinator of the
three-month-old Victim Service
Council, a group of volunteers dedi-
cated to the practical and emotional
needs of those victimized by muggers,
burglars, car thieves and other crimi-
nals. The new, non-denominational
program and its telephone hotline are
sponsored by the National Council of
Jewish Women — Greater Detroit
Section.
The 18 volun ers recruited by
Granader work mo ng or afternoon
shifts helping people come to terms
with the disruption in their lives that
usually follows a violeii1 criminal act.
Replacing credit card taken by a
purse snatcher, repairing apartment
doors and windows after break-in,
restoring the victim's self-esteem and
sense of order — Victim Service
Council workers have had a hand in
nearly every aspect of rehabilitation
during their short time on the job.

Victim Service Council Coordinator Lois Granader in the council's Southfield office.