180 Turning Lives around accepting volunteer applications

The private non-profit 180 Turning Lives around in Monmouth County is seeking volunteers for its Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). Training to become a confidential Victim Advocates will be held in June.

Applications will be accepted through the end of May and Susan Levine, the agency's Coordinator for the Victim Support Program, explained the qualities necessary to help victims of sexual violence.

"Someone who is very compassionate, cares a lot about others, someone who is able to provide someone with their options as opposed to opinions, someone who is non-judgemental and who will meet somebody where they're at," said Levine.

180 has been around for 40 years and its SART program has been helping victims and their families for half of that, according to Levine.

Volunteers work in collaboration with county-wide law enforcement and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner's program.

"The work that we are doing is to be there for a victim, a survivor, a significant other, in their time of crisis, even years later. Even years later they may be a survivor of childhood sexual assault," Levine said

As many as 35 volunteers run the SART program from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and Levine noted there's always an Advocate on-call.

People with full-time jobs do volunteer for two to four shifts a month, but Levine stressed agency relies on that commitment.

Applicants interested in applying to become a SART volunteer must meet basic requirements, including being 18-years of age or older, having access to reliable transportation, having a valid driver's license, submitting to fingerprinting and background checks, and successfully completing 40 hours mandatory training.

The training session will take place from June 7 - 30, 2016, Tuesdays through Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Neptune Township Municipal Complex.

Applications can be found online at www.180nj.org and can be submitted through email, fax or via mail to Tina Morgan, Assistant Victim Support Program Coordinator.