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Welcome to the KCIT 2025
Year in Review Update!
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Join us as we reflect on this past year...
and our gratitude for all of YOU!
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VOLUNTEER NEWS
We finished the 2025 calendar year with 10 new volunteers! We are so grateful to each and every one of you and look forward to our continued growth as we expand our team in 2026.
| | Welcome 4th Quarter Volunteers! | | Jordan Kent is a Victim Advocate at the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office. She is a BSW graduate from Messiah University and completed her MSW at Shippensburg University. Jordan also works as a Licensed Social Worker for a Mechanicsburg-based private practice. | | Natasha Leydic is a Direct Service Advocate at Alice Paul House in Indiana County. Natasha has a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and has been working in mental health and social services for 20 years. At APH Natasha provides clients with trauma informed counseling, group facilitation of evidence-based research supported programming, PREA advocacy, hotline counseling, protection order assistance, and on-call support. | | Stephanie Long joins us from York County, where she works as Family Advocacy Program Supervisor at the York County CAC. She has 23 years of experience in mental health and victim services, working with diverse populations. Before joining the CAC in York, Stephanie worked at UPMC Children's Resource Center, and has experience in case management, supervision and leadership, and she demonstrates a continued dedication to the care and protection of children. | | Amy Swanson is a Counselor, Educator, and Advocate at Crime Victims' Center of Fayette County in Uniontown, PA, where she provides crisis counseling and short-term counseling to survivors of sexual assault, child abuse, assault, and survivors of homicide along with their families. Amy has a Bachelor's in Psychology, has worked previously as a CNA, and as Therapeutic Support Staff, and is currently a volunteer member of her county's Suicide Prevention Task Force. She has a wealth of experience serving different populations and their specific needs, and we're excited to have her with us! | | |
Michaela Wissinger is a Direct Service Advocate at Alice Paul House, in Indiana County, where she provides trauma-informed crisis counseling to victims/survivors daily. Michaela has previously worked as a Lead Teacher at Beacon Children's Learning Center and also in the food service industry. Her public-facing experience has translated to assisting those in need, putting clients at ease immediately upon meeting them, and working with diverse populations.
| | Leslie Wagner is a Corrections Counselor at Erie County Prison in Erie, PA. She has over nineteen years of experience in the criminal justice and victim services fields, serving diverse populations including women, juveniles, immigrants, and elders. Leslie is also a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team at Erie County Prison, and has experience helping many individuals in immediate crisis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice/ Sociology and Master's in Criminology. She has also taught and presented in her fields. | | Chrissy Ascione joins us from Lawrence County, where she works as Victim Witness Coordinator for the County District Attorney's office. Prior to joining the DA's office Chrissy worked for Lawrence County Children and Youth for 20 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work and has been serving individuals in need since 1998. Chrissy has experience with those impacted by many kinds of crime and abuse, and has worked alongside the military, police, and other agencies. | | |
1st Quarter
Beth Fyffe and Donna Welsh provided a presentation for statewide Emergency Planners in coordination with Christine Heyser, Mass Care Coordinator for the Department of Human Services/Division of Emergency Planning and Response. More than 30 Emergency Planner Professionals were present for the virtual meeting.
Beth Fyffe's outreach efforts are continuing as we increase contact with more organizations and community partners.
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2nd Quarter
KCIT provided companioning support for nine events in 2025, including the Victim's Right's Rally in April, three vigils, and multiple conferences.
Some conferences took place over many days, requiring teams of volunteers to provide coverage to all attendees in need.
We are forever grateful to our dedicated volunteers who allow us to be present and ready to support participants at a variety of events.
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3rd Quarter
KCIT's annual Volunteer meeting took place in Camp Hill, PA, with over half our volunteers attending. Dr. Toya Jones presented a training which continued the program's commitment to supporting diverse populations and empowering our team with the tools to do so.
Volunteers and Advisors met, networked, and discussed the training and topics for future meetings. We look forward to seeing the team together this July!
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Upcoming Training in March
9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th (30th in Person)
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4th Quarter
KCIT is continuing hybrid GCI trainings in 2026 after our three sessions in 2025 were very successful!
The first three sessions are virtual, and the final is the simulation day, in person. We will be conducting live sessions in three different areas of the state: Luzerne, Dauphin and Clarion counties.
Click the training flyer to register for March or sign up for our mailing list for June and September via our website.
We look forward to connecting with our participants in 2026!
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UPCOMING NEWS
Farewell and THANK YOU!!
We wanted to include the news of Donna Welsh's departure from the KCIT team in this newsletter, as she will be leaving before our next missive in April.
Donna Welsh joined the team as Program Coordinator in 2020, stepping into her role during a global pandemic. Through screens and phones Donna kept the team connected and moving forward. She has been instrumental in expanding KCIT's outreach, enlisting new Advisory Committee members, hosting an annual Volunteer Meeting for the team to connect, and supporting forensic nurses with the SANE program.
Donna will be missed by all, particularly our volunteers whom she has led with compassion and determination. We wish her well in all her future endeavors, and hope to remain connected!
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Pathways for Victim Service Providers 2025
KCIT attended PCCD's Pathways for Victim Services Conference in September at the Kalahari Resort in the Poconos.
We provided Companioning Support for attendees, networked and shared information about KCIT at our table, Beth Fyffe presented a training with volunteer Angela Keen, and many KCIT Volunteers in attendance reconnected and spent important time together in the waterpark!
This year coincided with the remembrance of 9/11 and featured a keynote from the Sandy Hook Promise organization. Violence in the country also made headlines that week, leading to an emotionally complex and sometimes activating event. KCIT volunteers provided multiple individual interventions over the course of the conference, and many expressed their gratitude for our presence. Thank you to our volunteers!
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Victim's Rights Rally 2025
KCIT attended the Crime Victims' Rights Rally at the State Capitol building, providing both companioning for those attending and tabling to connect to other organizations and providers. The theme this year was Kinship, focused on connections across victims, services, and providers.
KCIT Volunteer Melany Nelson spoke to the crowd with her usual passion, moving the attendees. A large number of KCIT volunteers were in attendance, leading to reunions, meetings, and connection.
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PAR EXPO May 2025
KCIT's Program Coordinator, Donna Welsh, and Administrative Assistant, Kelsey Dellaporte, tabling at the PAR Expo in May.
The Pennsylvania Southeast Healthcare Coalition and partnering agencies coordinated the expo, which focused on the collaboration between public, private, and government sectors of disaster response.
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We're excited to announce our new program for volunteers, Lunch and Learns! These sessions are for volunteers to join as desired in order to discuss relevant topics and connect with volunteers and staff. Discussion topics may serve to refresh training and promote deployment readiness, or be adjacent but new to our volunteers and promote insight and discussion, still with the aim to connect, share knowledge, and increase the confidence of our volunteers prior to deployment.
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We featured four volunteers in our Spotlight series! The relaunch of this program has been a wonderful way to connect our volunteers to the community and celebrate their dedication in their fields.
Watch Deanna Weaver's video from December and Check out the playlist here!
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Helpful. Hopeful.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands
at times of challenge and controversy."
Every January, America marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and honors a powerful figure in American history. Kelsey Dellaporte, KCIT's Administrative Assistant, remembers learning about Dr. King in school:
"We were told all the big 'historic' things, but what I find fascinating as an adult is the nuance involved in working toward a goal, particularly a goal you may not achieve, or see come to fruition in your lifetime. His commitment and tenacity were always inspiring, but as an adult I think about how difficult life can truly be, and how many times we have to fight rather than give in. Working in Victim Services can feel a little like that to me, especially when I talk to people outside our profession. They hear the stories, but we face the victims, and meeting survivors and helping victims is what bolsters my resilience."
"Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family." From The King Center
We acknowledge that Dr. King was a human being, with a complicated life, and no individual should be beyond the scope of censure for their affronts. But as we celebrate the contributions of a human, we recognize his imperfect humanity, and do not condone certain actions.
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