SAFE has over 40 volunteer advocates who give their time each month to help survivors in crisis . In this Volunteer HIghlight we are hearing from Mautez Lovett!
Time volunteering at SAFE: Vollie since September 2012
Tell us a little bit about your self: Where are you from? What are you up to in your day-to-day life? What are your hobbies? I am from this great city! Washington, D.C. Born and raised. I also work for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the representative for the district. I also am half way through my Masters Program at Marymount University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
My hobbies are reading great books, hanging with friends and spending time with family.
Describe your ideal DC Saturday: My ideal DC Saturday if I can not volunteer with SAFE, I would wake up at 10, cook a good breakfast, find something to do during the day in the city maybe a museum or a festival (its always something happening here lol) and more than likely head later to a happy hour which would lead to another bar and so on and so forth…
Why do you volunteer at SAFE and what do you get out of it? I volunteer with SAFE because I have a strong passion for helping survivors of domestic violence. Domestic/sexual violence has an unfortunate history with my family and there was not a soul to help them through it. There is now an organization that can do that and more and if I can be a part of the solution then I will do what I can to help by any means. I honestly get a sense of satisfaction knowing that another abuser is off the streets. My heart is warm knowing that we can empower survivors to make life changing decisions that can impact their tomorrow. When I help another person when volunteering, I know that we are one step closer to something big and when we get there, I want to be a part of it!
What is your role as a volunteer? My role as a vollie is working on the response line. I answer the phones and speak with survivors about safety plans for themselves and how we can help them through the situation.
SAFE in three words: inspiring, motivating, amazing
What is something that you wish everyone knew about domestic violence: I wish that people could grasp the notion that domestic violence is not a selective process. It could happen to anyone and there needs to be more awareness about it. Some people may have experienced some type of DV but never knew it because they were not aware of it.
Wild card! Anything else you want BeSAFE Blog readers to know? I am probably one of the goofiest people you will ever meet. I laugh entirely too much but when I am passionate about something, I stick with it and push through it and it is a great gift that I am honored to have.
SAFE is lucky to have such an amazing group of dedicated volunteer advocates. Interested in getting involved? Learn more
here or email Cat Walker at cwalker@dcsafe.org.