Title: National Crime Victims' Rights Week Awards 2003: Honoring Those Who Bring Honor to Victims Series: brochure Author: Office for Victims of Crime Published: October 2002 Subject: victims -- general, National Crime Victims' Rights Week, awards, nomination form 7 pages 16,384 bytes ------------------------------- The nomination form is not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center at 800-627-6872. ------------------------------- National Crime Victims' Rights Week Awards 2003: Honoring Those Who Bring Honor to Victims Office for Victims of Crime OVC ------------------------------- Solicitation Announcement The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) invites you to submit a nomination for one or more of six awards--the National Crime Victim Service Award, the Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services, the Special Courage Award, the Volunteer for Victims Award, the Crime Victims Fund Award, and the Federal Service Award. In making your nomination(s), we encourage you to recognize programs and individuals who have made significant contributions to the crime victims field. Recipients of the awards will be honored in Washington, D.C., as part of the federal commemoration of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. About the Office for Victims of Crime OVC was created in 1984 and formally established by a 1988 amendment to the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to support services for crime victims and training and technical assistance for the field and to advocate for the fair treatment of victims. For more information about OVC, call the OVC Resource Center at 1-800-627-6872 (TTY 1-877-712-9279) or visit the OVC home page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc. About National Crime Victims' Rights Week In 1981, President Reagan proclaimed the first Victims' Rights Week, calling for "a renewed emphasis on, and an enhanced sensitivity to, the rights of victims." Each April since, communities across the Nation have held public rallies, candlelight vigils, and a host of commemorative activities to promote awareness of victims' rights and needs. The federal observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week culminates in an awards ceremony to honor individuals and programs for their outstanding efforts on behalf of victims. Significance of the Awards As the discipline of crime victim services has grown over the years, so have the number of remarkable individuals and organizations that significantly contribute to its success. Today, the field includes countless people and programs that, through vision, action, and leadership, have helped to improve the lives of victims in the aftermath of crime. Each year, through the prestigious National Crime Victim Service Award, the Attorney General and the President honor extraordinary individuals and programs that provide services to victims of crime. OVC, within the U.S. Department of Justice, coordinates the submission of nominations for programs and individuals whose work has been particularly innovative and pioneering and who exemplify the long-term commitment that characterizes many of our Nation's victim service providers--some of whom are also victims of crime. The Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services was instituted in 2001 in memory of OVC employee Susan Laurence, who helped professionals who had not traditionally served victims to develop effective victim responses. In her honor, this award recognizes a program, organization, or individual that has helped to expand the reach of victims' rights and services. The Special Courage Award recognizes an individual or individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary bravery in the aftermath of crime or who have performed a courageous act on behalf of a victim or potential victim. This award may honor a victim or survivor who has exhibited exceptional perseverance or determination in dealing with his or her own victimization, or it may acknowledge an individual who has acted bravely either to aid a victim or to prevent a victimization. Many of the dedicated men and women who serve crime victims do so without compensation, in addition to other responsibilities. The Volunteer for Victims Award honors one such individual for his or her selfless efforts to reach out to victims. Examples of volunteerism include, but are not limited to, providing crisis counseling, transportation, court accompaniment, food delivery, and emotional and material comfort. Established by the Victims of Crime Act in 1984, the Crime Victims Fund is a source of federal funding for thousands of victim assistance programs across the country and for victim compensation programs in every state. The Crime Victims Fund Award recognizes individuals and teams for their outstanding work in pursuing federal criminal offenders and in imposing and collecting the criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees, and special assessments that constitute the Crime Victims Fund. Finally, the Federal Service Award honors individuals for their direct service to victims of federal crime. This award recognizes a service provider's, other professional's, or a volunteer's exceptional contributions and extraordinary impact on behalf of victims in Indian Country, on military installations, in national parks, or in other areas governed by federal jurisdiction. The award-winning nominees will be honored at a special ceremony commemorating National Crime Victims' Rights Week. Biographies and accomplishments of former award recipients can be found on OVC's home page. ------------------------------- Nomination Submission Guidelines 1. Each nomination form must be accompanied by a nomination letter. If you, the nominator, are affiliated with an organization, your nomination letter should be submitted on official stationery and contain your signature as well as your position or title. No anonymous nominations will be accepted. 2. Each form must include the nominee's full name, date of birth, Social Security number, address, telephone number, and signature. If possible, please provide the nominee's e-mail address. If you are nominating an organization, provide the name, date of birth, Social Security number, contact information, and signature of the individual who would accept the award. Note: Please make sure the nominee's full name is spelled correctly and indicate in the space provided on the form whether or not another name (e.g., a nickname) should appear on the award plaque if the nominee is selected. 3. Your nomination letter should not exceed two single-spaced, single-sided, letter-size (8 1/2 x 11") pages, using a standard 12-point font. It should reflect as much as you know about your nominee's accomplishments and services in the support of crime victims. The nomination letter in support of a nominee for the National Crime Victim Service Award should address each of the following questions. o What accomplishments has the nominee made on behalf of crime victims? o How long has the nominee served victims of crime? o If the nominee is a paid professional working with crime victims, how may his or her contributions qualify as "beyond the call of duty"? o What impact has the nominee's service or program had on the community or other jurisdictions? o How have the actions of the nominee influenced attitudes, policies, or practices in victim services? The nomination letter in support of a nominee for an Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services should address each of the following questions. o What accomplishments has the nominee made on behalf of crime victims, and how are those accomplishments unique and original? o How has the nominee's work brought about change in new or nontraditional areas of victim rights or services? o What impact has the nominee's service or program had on the community or other jurisdictions? o How have the actions of the nominee influenced attitudes, policies, or practices? The nomination letter in support of a Special Courage Award nominee should address the following questions. o What act of courage has the nominee performed either in the aftermath of his or her own victimization or in coming to the aid of a victim? o How is that act extraordinary? o Who are/were the beneficiaries of the courageous act? o What verification of the act can you provide? The nomination letter in support of a Volunteer for Victims Award should address the following questions. o What service(s) has the nominee provided to victims? o How can the nominee's volunteer contributions to victim services be considered extraordinary? o What impact has the nominee's service or program had on the community or other jurisdictions? o How have the actions of the nominee influenced attitudes, policies, or practices? The nomination letter in support of a Crime Victims Fund Award nominee should address the following questions. o What innovations in procedures, regulations, or laws has the nominee developed that promote awareness of the objectives of the Crime Victims Fund? o How have the nominee's aggressive investi-gation, prosecution, management, and/or collection practices resulted in greater offender accountability? o Has the nominee undertaken any notable training efforts that promote awareness of the Fund? o Has the nominee discovered any previously undisclosed assets through innovative or creative investigation? The nomination letter in support of a Federal Service Award should address each of the following questions. o What extraordinary assistance has the nominee provided to federal crime victims? o How long has the nominee been serving victims of crime? o What impact have the nominee's achievements had on his or her community or other jurisdictions? o What innovative changes in attitudes, policies, or practices has the nominee brought about? o How can the nominee's contributions be considered "beyond the call of duty"? o How effective has the nominee been in implementing the provisions of the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance? 4. Please provide any additional information about the individual or program you are nominating that should be considered in the review process. Supporting documentation, such as newspaper articles or resumes, can be attached if it is pertinent to the nominee's contributions. Please note: Videos, bound publications, and notebooks should not be submitted. Only supporting documentation submitted with the nomination form will be accepted. 5. The entire nomination package, including supple-mental information and letters of support, may not exceed 10 single-spaced, single-sided, letter-size pages. Nominations exceeding this limit will not be considered. 6. Please provide an original and four copies of the entire nomination package. Note: An individual, program, or organization may be nominated for more than one award. However, a separate letter and nomination form must be submitted for each nomination. ------------------------------- Eligibility Guidelines 1. You may nominate one or more worthy candidates, including individuals, programs, teams, or a network or coalition of individuals and/or programs. Note: Please submit separate nomination packages for each nominee. 2. Nominees can represent federal, state, local, or tribal professionals and volunteers in both direct victim services and allied professions. 3. Candidates nominated but not selected in previous years are also eligible for consideration. 4. Elected officials are not eligible for consideration. Deadlines for Submitting Nominations Your nomination form and supporting materials must be received no later than December 31, 2002. Your nomination package should be mailed to Office for Victims of Crime Attention: National Crime Victims' Rights Week Committee 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Please be advised that, due to increased mail handling security measures, mail sent via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) may be significantly delayed in reaching OVC. Nominators are encouraged to fax their nomination packages or to consider alternatives to USPS such as commercial carriers. If a nomination is delayed in the mail and does not reach OVC by the deadline date, it will not be considered. Any Questions? If you have any questions about the awards nomination or selection process, please call Bill Brantley at 202-616-3574 or e-mail him at brantley@ojp.usdoj.gov. The OVC fax number is 202-514-6383 or 202- 305-2440. ------------------------------- LT000464