February 19, 2024

Help Fight for Victims’ Rights: 2024 Voices for Justice 

Meg Garvin, NCVLI

This is truly one of my favorite times of the year. On March 8th, people from across the country will get together – virtually and in person – to celebrate the work of elevating victims’ voices at NCVLI’s annual Voices for Justice fundraiser.

Every day NCVLI actively promotes comprehensive and enforceable legal rights for crime victims, and access to knowledgeable attorneys to help protect those rights through victim-centered legal advocacy, education, and resources.

But that only tells part of our story.

Our team includes some of the most creative legal minds in the country on Victim Law. We work with multi-disciplinary partners in every jurisdiction to develop cutting-edge legal arguments and briefings; we train on the “how to” of protecting victims’ rights; and we support efforts to improve the law. Every day we work to ensure that victims across the country have the expert, trauma-informed support that they need and deserve.

Much of our work is supported by grants. These grants allow us to accomplish specific projects, including our Rights in Systems Enforcements (RISE) Project, which is a national network of legal clinics, and many other projects that focus on important aspects of victims’ rights.

However, often we must work outside of grant parameters. Oftentimes we have to quickly provide technical assistance to an attorney whose client has a right that is about to be violated. Other times we are asked to file amicus curiae briefs to ensure that the appellate courts of our country understand victims’ rights. These requests come to us almost daily. The victim on the other side of the request deserves our immediate and full attention but often the requests are outside of our grants.

That’s where our supporters come in.

Every dollar that is donated to NCVLI allows us to make a difference in the lives of survivors. Unrestricted funds allow us to respond when asked and ensure victims’ voices are elevated throughout the legal systems that so often silence or forget about victims’ rights.

So, in addition to pausing to celebrate our work at Voice for Justice, we also pause to honor the survivors we serve. For example, this year at our Voices for Justice event, we will hear from Nicholas Iwamoto, whose story of survival and bravery also includes a story of a broken justice system.

We will continue to fight, but we need your help.

Our work strives to create a justice system that will pause and ask “How is the victim? What do they need to become a survivor?” The funds donated at our Voices for Justice event will help us create this change. Each of us can be a voice for justice, and our event allows everyone to be a part of creating a better system for victims of crime.

We can’t wait to see you on March 8th, whether on screen or in person on campus at the Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR.

NCVLI exists thanks to you. Let’s continue to work together to amplify all of our voices for justice.

Register for NCVLI’s 9th Annual Voices for Justice:
https://ncvli.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/9thAnnualVoicesforJustice/tabid/1400873/Default.aspx

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