Question 3: What has been your most rewarding volunteer service experience, in or out of Verona, and why?
Carrie Ford (Facebook, Twitter): My most rewarding volunteer experience was participating in, and eventually leading, the Rutgers School of Law-Camden Domestic Violence Project. At the time, the Project was an organization of nearly 100 volunteers focused on counseling and educating unrepresented litigants, seeking temporary and final restraining orders, about the legal process. As the Director of the Project, I was responsible for training volunteers, supporting local law enforcement, coordinating efforts with the county prosecutor’s office and working with other community agencies. During my involvement with the Project, we assisted hundreds of litigants in the court process; we also connected such individuals and families with the services necessary, in many cases, to settle and rebuild their lives. Through the Project, we educated Camden high school students about constitutional law and civics, and I organized a presentation series focused on teen violence awareness.
My volunteer efforts with the Project culminated in direct pro bono representation of victims of domestic violence. One such matter that left a lasting impression involved advocating for the continuation of a restraining order, as well as establishing the financial assistance from agency resources on behalf of a man who had been shot by his wife. Beyond the legal arguments made, the positive impact on his security both physical and financial – – no matter how incremental – – was inspiring. I believe that the Project’s work, in its myriad forms, has had lasting positive effects on individuals, on families, and was a benefit to the larger community.
Since my work with the Project, I continue to use my professional skills to assist individuals who would not otherwise have the resources to obtain legal representation, including helping a disabled man obtain the medical treatment he had been unlawfully denied.
The most rewarding aspect of my volunteer work has always been knowing that I can use my skills, experience, and dedication to make positive changes in people’s lives. I was raised in a family that valued and honored community service. Whether volunteering as firefighter with the local fire department or assisting with grocery shopping or meal delivery for housebound people, my parents instilled in me the importance of helping one another in our community. In turn, I teach my children that being compassionate and actively involved is a joyful, necessary part of family and community life. Serving on Town Council is a natural extension of this personal philosophy.
