St. Cloud Recognized National Crime Victims' Rights Week

By Sarah Rykken

MCF-St. Cloud recognized this year's National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW), held nationally from April 23-29, 2023, by hosting a Clothesline Project, and giving a donation to an organization that works directly with victims of crime.

Annually, Violence Free Minnesota, a statewide coalition to end relationship abuse, create safety and achieve social justice for all, releases a new edition of the Clothesline Project, a visual memorial to the past year's victims of intimate partner homicide. The project consists of a unique shirt to honor each victim, designed by a volunteer artist, or by a family member or friend in honor of their loved one. The shirts are then hung on a clothesline and displayed in a public location, to pay tribute and honor those that lost their lives in Minnesota due to intimate partner violence. MCF-St. Cloud paid tribute and honor on April 26, 2023, to those we lost in 2022.

On May 9, 2023, MCF-St. Cloud Restorative Justice Representatives and Incarcerated Individuals from the Peer Mentor group presented a donation to staff from Anna Marie's Alliance, a domestic abuse shelter located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The goal of Anna Marie's Alliance is “to provide women who are experiencing domestic abuse and their children with a safe place to stay and the resources they need. Through systemic change, we aim to create a community where violence is not tolerated, and where every home is a safe one." Due to fundraising efforts at MCF-St. Cloud, a donation of $500 was made!

(L to R), Case Manager Laura Thielen (RJ Rep.), WOOC AWA Sarah Rykken (RJ Rep.) – Back (L to R), Warden Eddie Miles, Teacher Ben Murphy (RJ Rep.), CPD Travis Schlangen. Incarcerated individuals from the Rivers and Reshape Chemical Dependency treatment programs attended the event, and processed in conjunction with other Victim Impact related curriculum. Anna Marie’s Alliance (AMA) accepted a $500 donation from Restorative Justice (RJ) fundraising efforts done at St. Cloud. Pictured are AMA staff, RJ Representatives Laura Thielen, Ben Murphy, and Sarah Rykken, along with peer mentors who assisted with the fundraisers.