WPXI: Woodland Hills School District coaches participate in unique trauma training to support athletes
August 10, 2023: “…All of the coaches went through trauma training in a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Center for Victims. “How to identify those triggers and making sure we are in the best space to respond,” said Ty Brown, who’s the Woodland Hills Athletic Director…” Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Anti-violence programs in Allegheny County receive $21 million from the state
January 11, 2023: “…PCCD awarded $88.6 million in Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grants to 122 projects throughout the state, and approximately $12 million in Coordinated Community Violence Intervention (CCVI) Strategies Pilot grants to 5 projects to support targeted anti-violence efforts in Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Chester City, and York…” Read More
KDKA: For man accused of killing Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire, criminal justice system had been revolving door
January 3, 2023: “…Laurie MacDonald of the Center for Victims says criminal justice has become a revolving door. ‘You commit a crime one time, OK, we’ll give you a second chance,’ MacDonald said. ‘But a third chance, a four chance, a fifth chance, it’s ludicrous.’…” Read More
KDKA Investigates: Pandemic nearly doubled defendants waiting for trials in Allegheny County
December 20, 2022: “…’It’s a terrible thing that can happen to you. And then to have it delayed for so long,’ said the Center For Victims President and CEO Laurie MacDonald…” Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: – Children under fire: Framing gun violence as a public health epidemic
December 5, 2022: “…Addressing the emotional pain of gun violence involves active listening and compassion, acts that are sometimes overlooked components of treating violence at its source, said Valerie Dixon…” Read More
Pittsburgh Business Times – C-Suite Awards: A Q&A with Laurie MacDonald, Center for Victims
November 4, 2022: “Laurie MacDonald is president and CEO, Center for Victims…” Read More
Pittsburgh Business Times Names Laurie MacDonald a 2022 C-Suite Award Winner
October 5, 2022: “The 2022 C-Suite Awards will honor the C-suite executives who have demonstrated vital leadership…” Read More
PublicSource: A Pitt student’s initiative wants to help survivors of intimate partner violence “be the leader in their own healing”
September 26, 2022: “…Ashley Woolheater, associate director of court and advocacy services at the Center for Victims, said her organization deals with people in that age range “all the time,”… Read More
WTAE: Influx of calls at Center for Victims followed word of sex crime charges against area ex-teacher and coach
September 15, 2022: “…it triggers them and they look for support with us, Laurie MacDonald, president and CEO of the Center for Victims, told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4… Read More
Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Western Pa. community advocates optimistic about new ‘transformative level of funding’ for gun violence prevention
August 1, 2022: “…Those are programs that “can’t happen without the money,” Ms. MacDonald said… Read More
WESA: Leon Ford, Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert launch foundation to address gun violence
June 22, 2022: “…A third grant issued this summer will support 15 summer workshops at the Center for Victims to train 150 community leaders about the science and impact of trauma… Read More
TribLIVE: Cousin of slain Apollo woman found at U-Haul facility works to help those suffering from abuse
June 5, 2022: “…Today, she is focusing her style skills to transform seven rooms at the Center for Victims in the South Side into fully decorated, inviting bedrooms… Read More
TribLIVE: Center for Victims named 2021 “Best of the Best” Nonprofit Finalist – Allegheny South-West
January 18, 2022: Center for Victims has been named a finalist for TribLIVE’s ‘Best of the Best’ Nonprofit, Allegheny South-West 2021
WTAE: Bill to protect Pittsburgh domestic violence victims from workplace discrimination
November 22, 2021: “…Stephanie Fox, Operations Manager, at another organization, the Center for Victims, told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, “I’ve personally been through this myself. I’ve personally kept quiet myself…” Read More
TribLIVE: Proposal would make it illegal for Pittsburgh employers to discriminate against domestic abuse victims
November 18, 2021: “…That’s what happened to Stephanie Fox, a former domestic violence victim who is now the project manager for a new domestic violence shelter project…” Read More
KDKA: Investigation Underway About Delay In Sending Out Amber Alert For 4-Month-Old Diore Thomas In East Pittsburgh
March 19, 2021: “…It’s the kind of incident for which Amber Alerts are designed. Only this one took hours to be issued and advocates for victims of violent crimes say this isn’t the first time.
“Every second counts for the parent of a child who is missing,” said Laurie MacDonald with Center for Victims…” Read More
Pittsburgh Business Times names Center for Victims’ Amy Cortes a 2020 CFO of the Year Award Winner
November 13, 2020: “Pittsburgh Business Times revealed their slate of winners for the 2020 CFO of the Year Awards, selecting Center for Victims’ Amy Cortes for the honor alongside a cohort of professional powerhouses…” Read More
The Jerusalem Post: Commemoration ceremony to honor those killed in Pittsburgh attack
October 24, 2020: “…Other events also taking place that day include…Healing Activities, an emotional support group to engage with services amazing services of local therapists, JFCS, Caring Place, and Center for Victims to help those coping with the attack.” Read More
KDKA: Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Knowing The Signs And How To Find Help
October 5, 2020: “…Entering October, the Pittsburgh Center For Victims hopes knowing what abuse looks like will help victims and their loved ones discover red flags…” Read More and Watch
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle: Healing Rivers Project helps those dealing with trauma move beyond victimhood
June 5, 2020: “…The first-of-its-kind project, built from the ground up as a complement to curricula by the South Side group Center for Victims, was new that spring – and blossomed with the glow of a new kind of innovation. An educational initiative, Healing Rivers…” Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: ‘Abuse certainly didn’t stop’: Fewer people calling for help, but services are still available
April 9, 2020: “…’We are here, we are open, we are live and in-person. We are operating our shelter as we normally do,’ with additional safety precautions for social distancing, said Bethany Wingerson, director of domestic violence services at Center for Victims….” Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Rally honors 3-year-old Chassity Clancy, who died from gunshot wound
February 18, 2020: “…But the rally was as much an opportunity for healing as it was a call to action. Local pastors offered prayers and several counselors from the Center for Victims were also present to provide one-on-one guidance…. Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Tree of Life brought out a ‘collective compassion.’ Now a Pittsburgh group uses faith to help others facing trauma.
February 8, 2020: “…It’s in response to modern, shocking tragedies — the Oct. 27, 2018, massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill and the cumulative effects of other gun violence in Allegheny County — that the group was seated at the table at the Center for Victims…” Read More
WAMU: Cookie Artist Teaches Edible Lessons In Asian-American History
August 31, 2019: “…[Jasmine] Cho is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art therapy and has received a $10,000 “community champion” award from Citizens Bank to support her work providing baking therapy for the Center for Victims in Pittsburgh…” Read More
TribLIVE: Allegheny County violence shelters team up for program to promote independent living
August 11, 2019: “…’It’s very difficult whenever you may have not had a lot of control in your life to all of a sudden have that control,’ said Bethany Wingerson, director of domestic violence services with Center for Victims.
Wingerson said there is always a need for more affordable housing for victims of domestic violence and the DV-UP program helps alleviate that….” Read More
Pittsburgh Current: Jasmine Cho’s Cookies Promote Asian Representation And Therapeutic Healing
July 24, 2019: “…Cho sees in baking the potential to treat people with anxiety, depression and many kinds of trauma. She’s partnering with Center For Victims to conduct some of her research on vicarious and intergenerational trauma treatment.
‘Working with Center for Victims we talk a lot about how activating all five of your senses really helps to rewire your brain, and trauma is something where whatever happens really stunts you,’ Cho says. ‘[When you’re baking] everything is engaged.’…” Read More
WPXI: Man suspected in stabbing death of girlfriend’s 8-year-old son
July 11, 2019: “…While incidents this extreme are rare, children can be traumatized be many different situations and often react in different ways.
‘We pay attention to the children who are what I call ‘acter-outers,’ they’re going to show their symptoms. But being too good and being too well adjusted is also a symptom, it just often gets missed,’ Laurie MacDonald, president and CEO at the Center for Victims, said…” Read More
WESA: Voters Will Decide On PA Victim’s ‘Bill Of Rights’
June 26, 2019: “…Laurie MacDonald, president and CEO of the Center for Victims, says that currently, the rights afforded to victims can be changed at any time, because they’re not protected under the state constitution. The amendment would effectively create a bill of rights for victims and allow them to be a part of the legal process, according to MacDonald. She says the center will support passage of the bill ahead of November. …” Read More
NextPittsburgh: Center for Victims breaks ground on new South Side shelter
May 7, 2019: “…The staff at the Center for Victims in the South Side brings decades of experience to their work assisting women and families fleeing domestic abuse. But even among their experts, Operations Manager Stephanie Fox stands apart.
Fox has firsthand experience in the shelter system. Not as a professional or a volunteer, but as a young mother fleeing violence with her own children.
‘I had to do it twice,’ Fox says. ‘So I’m very familiar.’…” Read More
WPXI: Pittsburgh group develops technology to protect domestic violence victims
May 2, 2019: “A local non-profit group is hoping an app could provide the next step in protection for domestic violence victims, making Allegheny County the first in the nation to use it.
One of the biggest concerns among victims in Pennsylvania is there are only a handful of ways to protect yourself, including a Protection From Abuse order.
Diane Decubellis is not just a victim, she’s a survivor. She filed abuse charges against her ex-boyfriend last year and was alerted by the Center for Victims the day he got out of jail…” Read More
90.5 WESA: Local Groups Develop Apps To Help Violent Crime Survivors And Behavioral Health Patients
April 30, 2019: The Pittsburgh Center for Victims is offering survivors of violent crimes a way to stay informed about the legal status of their perpetrators. The center has worked with the Allegheny County Jail to keep survivors informed about release dates for more than 20 years, but according to Center for Victims CEO Laurie MacDonald, the app takes this work a step further… Read More
US DOJ: Ceremony Honors Western Pennsylvania Victims Rights’ Advocates
April 30, 2019: Two advocates for the Center for Victims – Patrice El-Waaga, Director of Advocacy and Court Services, and Anita White, a Counselor and Advocate, who works primarily with the elderly – were recognized for providing stellar support in myriad federal cases, working side by side with the USAO’s Victim/Witness Coordinator to ensure victims were kept updated on the status of their case, received resources and referrals, and were provided support during court hearings…. Read More
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: ‘Enough is enough’: Pittsburgh synagogue, others react to Calif. shooting
April 27, 2019: The Jewish Federation said in a statement that anyone who feels the need to talk to call Jewish Family and Community Services Counseling Services at 412-422-7200 for support. At night and over the weekend, you can talk with someone right away by calling the Center for Victims Hotline at 1-866-644-2882. … Read More
NextPittsburgh: Center for Victims has new HQ and innovative new approach to dealing with unresolved trauma
April 16, 2019: Laurie MacDonald has been working in victims’ services for 20 years. But until recently, it’s been very much an analog experience.
“For probably the first 15 years, they didn’t even use computers,” she recalls. Even today, the field “really hasn’t been touched by technology.”… Read More
Pittsburgh Business Times: Center for Victims launches app for jail release notifications
April 11, 2019: Center for Victims, a South Side-based organization that provides services to crime victims, launched the Full Circle app Thursday, according to a news release.
Since the organization was founded in 1984, it has worked in partnership with the Allegheny County Jail to provide victims of violent crime notice when their perpetrators are released from jail via phone call… Read More
WPXI: New app could help victims of domestic violence
April 8, 2019: A new app could help victims of domestic violence be notified faster if their abuser is released from custody.
This week, the Center for Victims in the South Side is rolling out a new app called Full Circle… Read More
Public Source: In Allegheny County, domestic violence offenders often avoid the most serious punishment
February 18, 2019: …“More domestic violence cases get settled at a magistrate office than get settled Downtown,” said Ashley Deiuliis, an advocate at the South Side-based nonprofit Center for Victims… Read More
TribLIVE: Shady Side Academy students honor Martin Luther King with day of service
January 24, 2019: Younger students completed kid-friendly service projects that included … packing care bags for kids attending family court through the Center for Victims… Read More
TribLIVE: Woodland Hills hosts MLK basketball tournament
January 19, 2019: …Community organizations and service providers, including the Center for Victims, [hosted] tables throughout the weekend… Read More
Public Source: Treating trauma and society’s ‘collective illness’: Mental health experts rally to provide long-lasting care after Tree of Life shooting
December 26, 2018: … Other agencies providing or hosting counseling services have included the Jewish Community Center, Allegheny County Emergency Services, the Center for Victims, Red Cross, Salvation Army and FOCUS Pittsburgh, among others… Read More
The Incline: ‘What changing statutes of limitations could mean for child sex abuse survivors’
September 11, 2018: Center for Victims’ Clinical Director Cindy Snyder discusses the ongoing fallout surrounding the release of the Grand Jury Report on the Catholic Diocese and efforts to change PA’s statute of limitations. Read More
Pittsburgh Today Live: Hard Rock Café Concert To Benefit Center For Victims
August 13, 2018: Miss Freddye Stover, Billy “The Kid” Evanochko and Frank Vieira stop by to talk about an upcoming concert at the Hard Rock Café, which will benefit the Center for Victims. Learn more
