The executive director of Allen and Putnam Crime Victim Services talks about the growth of the agency since its start nearly 40 years ago.
David Voth talked about creating the agency from the ground up. Before it was Crime Victim Services, it was a church-based program to bring victims and the people arrested for the crime together to talk. But it grew into an advocacy program that works separately from the prosecutor’s office that fights for the rights of victims in court and in government. After 37 years of fighting for victims, Voth says he is grateful for the area's support of their mission.
“Being the director at Crime Victim Services has been heartwarming for me and it is also heart-wrenching, because of all of the evil and the stories that we work with,” says Voth. “But there has been such support from the community, businesses, donors, lots of volunteers. We have over 100 volunteers right now at Crime Victim Services. So, it is really a community effort that has made Crime Victim Services a success.”
Because of the growth and vision of the agency, they have created something that has not been replicated any place else in the nation.
“We have 10 different programs at Crime Victim Services, and we are the only program like this in the nation,” adds Voth. “So if you go to other counties or other states, you will not find 10 programs in one place. They're all 10 different agencies, and we house them all in one place so it is much more efficient and there's no wrong door for victims to come when they come to Crime Victims Services.”
For more information about the agency, log on to crimevictimservices.org.
