Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center

To ensure that victims of violent crime in Maryland recieve justice and are treated with dignity and compassion through comprehensive victims's rights and services.

Why We Are Here:

On April 3, 1982, Stephanie Roper became an innocent victim of crime in Maryland.

She was a college senior about to graduate from Frostburg State University, home for a weekend visit with with her family in Prince George's County. After leaving her friend's home, her car became disabled. Two men, Jack Ronald Jones and Jerry Beatty, came upon and kidnapped her, and over a five-hour period, brutally raped, tortured, and murdered Stephanie.

Friends and neighbors who had known and loved Stephanie found it impossible to do nothing. Frustration and anger were diverted into acts of love toward Stephanie's family.

A small group was formed to help them through the funeral and subsequent criminal trial, the Stephanie Roper Family Assistance Committee. In October 1982, the group incorporated as the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation, Inc.

Guided by the cause, Stephanie's memory, and the leadership of Stephanie's parents, Vince and Roberta Roper, volunteers came forward to form the staff. Goals and priorities were set, chapters were formed, space was donated, and the first office opened.

Twenty years later, in the Fall of 2002, the sister organizations bearing Stephanie's name merged to become the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center, Inc., a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to serving the interests of crime victims in Maryland, while maintaining a nationwide reputation for dedicated advocacy and services.

Today, the MCVRC serves Maryland's victims from two offices, in Prince George's County and in Baltimore City, and has diversified its services to include criminal justice education, court accompaniment, therapeutic counseling, support groups, community education, prevention education, legal information and assistance, direct legal representation, policy advocacy, technical assistance for allied professionals and criminal justice agencies, and faith-based referrals.

How You Can Help:

The Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization that provides information, support services, legal assistance, and advocacy to crime victims and their families.

The Center proposes and supports legislation for victims’ rights and services before the Maryland General Assembly and strives to increase public awareness of victims’ rights and problems with the criminal justice system.

The Center has served numerous victims and family members throughout the State of Maryland. Your support to continue and grow our efforts may be provided through your financial donations and by becoming a volunteer.

How To Become A Volunteer:

The Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center utilizes volunteers as well a limited number of full-time and part-time staff in key positions. Please consider becoming one of our volunteers. Listed below are some of the service positions that our volunteers fulfill:

• Court Accompaniment – Assist victims through the criminal justice process by providing accompaniment and support at criminal justice proceedings.
• Special Events – Help will organizing and setting up special events, such as media conferences, fundraisers and banquets.
• Office Assistance – Work alongside our key staff by providing office assistance as your time allows. Schedules are flexible to match your availability.
• Community Events – Staff neighborhood gatherings, and other events as needed to provide more information about The Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center.

For more information, contact:
Yang Zhao

 

From the VSMD Desk.....

This summer, President Barack Obama will be kicking off the call to Summer Service as part of his United We Serve initiative supported by the Corporation of National and Community service. This time of service begins on June 22 and will end September 11, 2009. During this time, the president hopes to help the nation in its time of need and motivate all people to find meaningful ways to give back to their communities for the summer and beyond.

With the president’s inspiration to serve, the initiative creates the need to increase the publicized opportunities available to the volunteers in the community. As Volunteer Southern Maryland serves as the volunteer center for the Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, we are eager to provide your organizations with this new influx of volunteers that are enthusiastic to serve.

Many members of our local community want to serve, but do not know what opportunities are available to them! As a member of Volunteer Southern Maryland, you can post your events/opportunities straight from your account. The 1-800 volunteer online database system takes you through the process step by step and is an easy way to publicize your organizations needs. We have had numerous calls from people looking for meaningful ways to give back, so please take advantage of the tools available to you as a member.

We want to help!! If you need help setting up events/opportunities or if you need your user name and password sent to you, please let us know and we will be happy to help you with that information. We are also available for site visits. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are excited to be part of this initiative and are proud to offer you the tools to take advantage of the growing volunteer population!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern MD, Inc.

Volunteers Needed for 2nd Annual Taste of Southern Maryland

The 2nd Annual Taste of Southern Maryland is a wine and food tasting including musical entertainment and a silent auction. The event is set up to showcase the "best of" Southern Maryland! We are looking for people who want to have fun while making a difference in the lives of children in Southern Maryland. We are looking for planning committee members to assist with preparations for the event as well as to sell tickets to the event at Blue Crabs games prior to 9/12/09 and volunteers for the day of the event to help with: set up, registration, musical entertainment, silent auction and other fun things!

Date: September 12, 2009

Time: Event is from 2:00-5:30pm but we can use volunteers starting as early as 10am the day of the event. There is no set amount of time you need to volunteer-if you want to give your time, we would be happy to have your help, you just tell us how long you can volunteer and we will fit you in!

Contact Info:
Lyndee Waldbauer
Other Program Coordinator
301-290-0501