Recognized for their exceptional service were Daniella Bozur of Hamilton, Lorraine Rollo of Burlington, and the Sexual Assault Support Program at the Victim Services Branch-Hamilton Police Service. Photo credit: Facebook/Hamilton Police Service
On Wednesday, two local advocates and the Hamilton Police Service were named recipients of the 2021-22 Attorney General’s Victim Services Awards of Distinction.
Given annually by the province’s Attorney General, the awards recognize the dedication and creativity of 16 professionals and volunteers from across Ontario who serve people who have experienced victimization due to crime and the courageous efforts of individuals who have been personally impacted by crime and are now working to raise the profile of victims’ issues in the province.
Recognized for their exceptional service this week were Daniella Bozur of Hamilton, Lorraine Rollo of Burlington, and the Sexual Assault Support Program at the Victim Services Branch-Hamilton Police Service.
“These dedicated professionals, volunteers and outstanding organizations contribute their energy and compassion to empower survivors and create positive change for victims of crime. In the face of incredible daily challenges, their tireless work to raise awareness of victims’ issues and access to supports helps make Ontario communities better places to be,” said Attorney General Doug Downey.
“These awards are an expression of our enduring appreciation of Ontarians’ exceptional achievements in service to victims of crime. I offer my sincere congratulations to each recipient of the 2021-22 Victim Services Awards of Distinction, as well as the teams, networks of support and the communities they represent.”
Daniella Bozur is the manager of the Supervised Parenting Services at the YWCA Hamilton. In 2018, she was recognized as Service Provider of the Year by the International Supervised Visitation Network (SVN) and was previously chair of the SVN Ontario Chapter Board of Directors.
A certified instructor in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression, Bozur has helped train hundreds of staff to respond safely and effectively to people in crisis, address mental health problems and thoughts of suicide and confront racism, oppression, and marginalization.
Lorraine Rollo is a passionate advocate for victims, being a victim of long-term domestic violence herself. She is a strong advocate for the Women Against Violence program, a crisis phone line volunteer, educator with the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area, and a committee member and survivor representative for the Halton Violence Prevention Council and Speakers’ Bureau.
Since 2016, Rollo has been the chair of SAFE (Survivor Advocates for Empowerment) where she facilitates fundraising projects and develops programs to educate the community on how to address violence. As a trained peer and court support volunteer through Interval House of Hamilton/Women’s Centre of Hamilton, Lorraine provided peer support and accompaniments to court hearings for women recovering from domestic violence.
The Victim Services Branch-Hamilton Police Service was established in 1992 to provide 24/7 staff and volunteer support to victims impacted by crime or tragic circumstance in Hamilton. Its Sexual Assault Support Program (SASP) was created in 2018 to address the high unfounded rates of sexual assault investigations in the Hamilton Police Service. The program provides support, information, system navigation and access to community resources for people who have experienced sexual violence.
Since 2019, over 530 individuals who have experienced sexual violence have been supported. Recently, the program expanded to support survivors of human trafficking, as well as child abuse.
