Raising funds for VSS – Edinburgh Half Marathon
Laura volunteers with us in Fife and has entered the Edinburgh Half Marathon 2019. She writes about why she became a volunteer and why she is raising money for victim and witness support services.
I am currently a volunteer with Victim Support Scotland (VSS) in the Fife office. I have been volunteering with the victim service for around 8 months now and I am so glad I got involved in their work. I originally joined VSS because I hope to pursue a career in the Criminal Justice System and thought it would provide some experience in this field. I also wanted an opportunity to help people in some way and so far the service has met all my expectations.
The support VSS provides is so unique. The time after becoming victim to a crime can be confusing and many people struggle to understand their own feelings and behaviours. VSS provides an outlet for this. Every experience is so different. No matter what the circumstances, all victims are given a chance to talk in an open, non-judged way. This is something which many people may not have the opportunity to experience with family or friends.
The support that staff and volunteers provide to each other is second to none. In a role which can sometimes be very challenging and emotional, the support we provide each other is something I’ve never experienced anywhere else.
I am running the Edinburgh Half Marathon on 26 May in aid of VSS as I have seen first-hand the positive impact the victim service can have on someone’s life.
The money I raise will go towards training more volunteers all across Scotland to help support victims and their families. It will help create more outreach programmes so more people will have access to our service and it will help towards developing new specialised services to provide the best possible support for all types of crime.
So if you’d like to donate, please visit my JustGiving page. Your help will go a long way in helping people get their lives back.
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