Prevail, Inc. of Noblesville has received funding through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, within the U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

The week of April 21–27, 2013, is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This annual observance, first designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, seeks to increase general public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is “New Challenges. New Solutions.”

Prevail was one of the 77 projects recommended by the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators and selected for funding by OVC for 2013 from the 169 applications that were submitted nationwide.

OVC Acting Director Joye Frost said the community awareness project helps generate widespread public awareness of crime victims’ rights and needs, and the importance of engaging all Americans in victim assistance efforts.

“Recent studies show that too many crime victims and survivors do not avail themselves of the many services in our communities that can help them through very devastating experiences,” she said. “National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is our opportunity to support public awareness of crime victims’ rights and the critical, often life-saving, services provided by thousands of programs across our Nation to help crime victims.”

Hamilton County’s community awareness project will be a Criminal Justice “Odyssey” Open House Learning Activity held on April 25, 2013. The open house will be a collaboration with Alternatives, Inc. (an emergency domestic violence shelter located in Madison County) and many other agencies in Hamilton County that assist victims of crime. The event will focus on taking community members through each step of the experiences a victim would encounter when affected by a crime.

“The support from NAVAA and OVC for our 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities will help us help crime victims,” said Prevail’s Public Relations Coordinator Natasha Robinson. “Members of our community are encouraged to help promote justice through service to crime victims by joining our 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities and supporting victim assistance programs throughout the year.”

Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to 610 communities. OVC also promotes National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by sponsoring a Resource Guide that contains educational content, campaign materials, artwork, and public service announcements to increase general public understanding of crime victims’ rights and concerns and to educate crime victims and survivors about available resources.

For additional information about 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Hamilton County, contact Natasha Robinson at 773-6942 or visit www.prevailinc.com. For information about national efforts to promote 2013 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, visit www.ovc.gov.