The Charles County Sheriff’s Office received a $5,000 grant from the Chaney Foundation to assist with two victim assistance programs. Pictured from left to right are Ruth Anderson-Cole, Jessica Pinkey, Sheriff Rex Coffey, Carol Jackson, and Fern Brown. (Photo courtesy CCSO)
LA PLATA, Md. (Feb. 8, 2008)—The Charles County Sheriff’s Office received a $5,000 grant from the Chaney Foundation to assist with two programs managed by the Victim Services Section. On Jan. 16, Jessica Pinkey, Community Relations Associate for the Chaney Foundation, and Carol Jackson, a Foundation board member, presented the grant to Sheriff Rex Coffey, Victim Services Coordinator Ruth Anderson-Cole, and Fern Brown, Charles County Circuit/District Courts Domestic Violence Coordinator.
The grant will support the Charles County Crime Victims Fund and the Rape/Sexual Assault Kit program. When victims of rape or domestic violence are examined at Civista Medical Center, the Sheriff’s Office needs the victims’ clothing for evidence, leaving the victims with nothing to wear home from the hospital. Four years ago, Anderson-Cole and Brown developed the kits, which contain clothing, toiletries and educational material and are provided to the victims by Civista Medical Center’s Sexual Assault Nurses.
The Crime Victim’s Fund provides financial assistance to crime victims in Charles County. Victims often need assistance with relocation, emergency transportation, re-keying of locks, housing accommodation, legal fees, replacement of stolen personal identification, emergency replacement of medications, repairing or replacing broken or stolen eye glasses, emergency meals and non-violent crime scene clean up. The fund will provide victims between $25 and $250 for emergency help.
The programs provide the service to victims of homicides, domestic violence, rape/sexual assault, burglaries, traffic fatalities, hate crimes and strong-arm robberies.
“Providing victims with the help they need is our job, but the Chaney Foundation goes above and beyond helping the community by supporting our victim outreach efforts,” said Sheriff Coffey. “We are truly grateful for all they do for us.”