It could have been the fearful look in the eyes of a woman who had a flashback to the day she was raped. It could have been the children who have seen their mothers beaten or those who have been beaten themselves.
Whatever it was that brought each of the 35 staff members to the Community Violence Intervention Center, they stay because they are determined to help eradicate violence in Grand Forks, one family at a time.
That's the message CVIC drives home when you enter their facility on South Fourth Street, a few steps away from the Grand Forks courthouse and the county building.
Eight community members took a "Break the Silence Tour" of the facility Thursday, including people from the Energy and Environmental Research Center and LM Glasfiber.
Kristi Hall-Jiran, CVIC's executive director, said one of the myths they're trying to combat by giving tours of the facility is that the program serves mainly women who have been the victims of domestic violence or rape.
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"We serve men and women, anyone who has been a victim of violence at home, in our schools, on our streets," she said.
CVIC provides public safety, a child visitation program, prevention and education programs and the domestic violence offender treatment program.
More than 2,000 people receive direct services from CVIC per year, including about 900 children and teenagers, and about 100 people (many of them children) who have been sexually assaulted, according to Hall-Jiran.
The tour will take you from room to room, where all the staff members are housed.
You hear the stories that keep them there and why they want to help, day in and day out.
At the end of Thursday's tour, a woman who had been sexually molested by a trusted adult talked about the help she received from CVIC.
"I am forever grateful," she said.
Reach Nadeau at (701) 780-1118; (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or send e-mail to snadeau@gfherald.com .
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More information:
To find out more about CVIC, log on to www.cviconline.org . To take a "Break the Silence" tour, contact Edie Dahlen at (701) 746-0405 or edie@cviconline.org .
Upcoming tours will be held Sept. 18, Oct. 16, and Oct. 28, or you may arrange for a special tour for your group or organization.
