Project Anchor- adolescent victims of sexual abuse

Hello again!

As always, we are busy as ever here at Fair Haven. We are established in our new Youth Services Room. For this report, I want to highlight our team as we have been working hard and serving clients every day. This team is small but mighty! In the last 6 months, among the three of us, we have served 36 clients between the ages of 1-17 years old - this does not include our other departments who help us! I am excited to continue my work with this team. Here is a little about us!

Youth Services Coordinator

My name is Maya. I started with Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center in June 2021 as a victim advocate. I have a bachelor’s in social work and am currently working on receiving my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My goal is to become a licensed therapist that specializes in working with children who have experienced trauma. I enjoy coloring, playing video games, and relaxing with my kitties in my free time. The reason I went into this field is because I have seen how sexual violence has affected my life and people that I care about. I love being able to provide security and comfort for my teen clients. The work is hard but I’m happy to walk alongside survivors on their journey to healing.

Youth Victim Advocate

My name is Quenturha, I started my undergraduate degree in criminal justice unsure of the impact that I wanted to make in the community, but I knew I wanted to help people. I always found myself in spaces where I was giving back, whether I was volunteering at domestic violence shelters or at local salvation army. I knew my career had to reflect my empathic optimistic personality. Becoming a victim advocate at Fair Haven rape crisis center allowed me to incorporate both, being able to work with teens who have suffered from sexual violence, has been a rewarding experience. Being able to help teens process something so traumatic and take their power back, helps me impact the community in unimaginable ways. 

Youth Victim Advocate

Hi, I’m Gabriella. A fun fact about me is that I like to read. I have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Lewis University located in Romeoville, Illinois. When I was there, we had a job fair with similar companies that work in advocacy and that’s how I learned about this line of work. I felt passionate about helping kids in need because I’ve always worked with kids as a babysitter for several years. So far, I’ve been making kids feel comfortable during our sessions and they’ve been opening up to me so I can help them out in any way they need.  

We are thankful to be able to work with survivors of child sexual abuse. With the help of your continued donations, we can support our mission and provide a safe space for ALL survivors. Our organization is grateful for the mass amounts of support. Thank you!