President Paul Newell thanks Donna Ongsiako for her moving presentation.
Rotary Board of Directors presents Donna Ongsiako & Dana Richards of Survivors of Violent Crimes with a check for $1,000 to help their
Sylvia Alan introduced the speaker, Donna Ongsiako founder of the non-profit organization Survivors of Violent Crimes.
The mission is to provide survivors of violent crimes with resources for healing and education, to raise government and community awareness of victim needs and the treatment process for PTSD. The speaker related in detail her heart wrenching story. She was attacked while alone in her own home by a teenage boy wielding a knife. He slashed her repeatedly and stole her car. Miraculously she was able to call the police. This 16 year old boy was caught and later sentenced to 15 years in jail. She showed everyone photos of her wounds. She suffers from PTSD and from body damage. After meeting other victims, she recognized the need to form an organization to help other survivors to deal with trauma. She distributed flyers about the organization.
The website is www.survivorsofviolentcrimes.org.
Our Rotary Club donated $1,000 to the organization.