Members of the community came to support Ponoka Victim Services in its annual fundraiser May 4 at the Stagecoach Saloon.
The group made $18,000, said Director Kristi Motley, who was pleased to see such involvement from residents and from Ponoka RCMP. “We’re excited to have the support of the community and our partners in crime, so-to-speak.”
She praised the advocates who help people in their times of need. “They are dedicated, compassionate individuals that want to give back to the community,” added Motley. “Twenty-four seven, 365 they’re on call and so willing to step up to the plate when no-one can.”
Carolyn Ramey, director for Ponoka Victim Services will be stepping down from that role to become an advocate herself. She has been taking the rigorous training involved with the program.
Her biggest fear in taking on the volunteer job is how to deal with people in their darkest time. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with it emotionally.”
The training includes 50-hours of online classes, which show advocates different scenarios to prepare them for the challenges of the job.
Nancy Giles has been an advocate for a year and a half and giving back to the community is only part of why she volunteers. “I like being a good role model to my children.”
She and other advocates deal with people who are victims of problems such as domestic violence, abandoned children, abuse and notifying a death to a next of kin. “It can be pretty intense,” said Giles.
Daphne Podmeroff, an advocate of seven years, said they meet every month to discuss and debrief on things they have dealt with. Despite having to deal with challenging issues the real reward is helping a person. “It’s very rewarding to feel like you’re helping people at their worst time.”
Former director Ed Rifo recently became director of Victim Services in Leduc is still an advocate in Ponoka. He feels the job of an advocate is important and wanted to keep his commitment to the group. “It’s a very special group, what they do is important.”
Last year Ponoka Victim Services took in 150 calls, some were even on-call during the fundraiser.
Advocates work closely with the RCMP, which is another reason for their training, and Corp. Paul Taylor sees Victim Services as a valuable asset to their work. Police conduct their tasks during an event and when finished the advocates will step in to help.
Without volunteers, officers would not be able to continue on with their investigation, Taylor explained. “They have a wealth of information that they can give to these victims.”
In attendance were Ponoka town and county councillors as well as Staff Sgt. Cameron Chisholm and MLA Rod Fox. Last year’s fundraiser brought in $20,000.