The children know her fondly as “Miss Carol,” and many seek her out specifically when they can no longer suppress the details of horrific incidents of abuse.
For nearly a decade, Carol Intintoli has worked as a part-time community outreach and mandated reporting specialist with the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County’s prevention and education department. None of that experience prepared her for the ambush that occurred the afternoon of Wednesday, July 6.
Intintoli said she thought she was accompanying Joe Myers, the CVC’s outreach coordinator, to the Sprout Music Collective in West Chester to discuss a potential advocacy program.
Instead, the stunned West Goshen Township resident found a crowd that included her husband, Al, her daughter Jessica, a host of co-workers, supporters, lawmakers’ representatives and assorted officials. The group would have been larger if Intintoli’s other daughter Michelle had been able to make the trip from Colorado, where she lives.
Peggy Gusz, CVC’s executive director, asked Intintoli if she wanted to mingle and catch her breath or learn the reason for the gathering. “I would like to find out why I’m here,” Intintoli said emphatically, shaking her head in disbelief.
Gusz then turned the program over to Jeff Blystone, the victim compensation manager for the state’s Office of Victims' Services Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Blystone explained that Intintoli had been selected to receive a Governor’s Victim Service Pathfinder Award, the most prestigious recognition that Pennsylvania gives to a victims’ services professional or program.
To qualify, nominees must demonstrate a history of creative, innovative service in the development and provision of educational programs; possess a spirit of empowerment and enthusiasm in meeting the needs of victims; and exhibit significant impact. One person is chosen statewide each year in the category of Individual Prevention Education and Outreach, Blystone said, summarizing the letters that the state received touting Intintoli’s accomplishments.
Among her numerous intiatives, Intintoli spent countless hours researching materials, trying to find the perfect children’s books to teach children about challenging subjects such as bullying and inappropriate touching. Dissatisfied with the materials available, she wrote her own books on three occasions, enhancing them with creative illustrations. She also invented interactive games to engage her young audiences and impart important knowledge in a non-threatening way.
In one of the letters supporting Intintoli’s nomination, Jill Miller, an elementary school counselor in the Downingtown Area School District, wrote: “Sadly, each year when Carol and the other CVC educators come to our school, numerous children come forward to share abuse from which they need assistance to achieve safety. What I have witnessed time and again is Carol’s warmth and skill in helping the children know that it is safe to come to her after the presentations to talk.”
The accolades from Blystone on behalf of Gov. Wolf represented just the beginning. Intintoli also received citations and congratulations from Teresa DelCampo, representing state Sen. Tom Killion, R-9; Don Vymazal from the office of state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19; and County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone on behalf of the board of commissioners.
Vymazal noted that one of Intintoli’s duties involves decorating the window of Dinniman’s office in West Chester once a year. He said the eye-catching displays on topics ranging from bystander intervention to human trafficking, have often generated thought-provoking questions and discussion.
Cozzone said she had often admired the displays and wondered who did them. “We as a county are truly grateful for the work you’ve done and the example you’ve set,” she told Intintoli.
DelCampo, who added praise from the state Senate, agreed with Cozzone’s sentiments. “I’d like to invite you to our office to create a display,” DelCampo said.
Intintoli, still struggling to accept the fact that her family managed to keep the award a secret, said words failed her. “I’m not usually caught off guard,” she acknowledged.
She added that she believed the names of any of her colleagues could have been substituted for hers during the various recitations and that she was honored to accept the recognition on behalf of all of them.
“Thank you all so much,” she said. “I’m so proud of the work that we do.”
For more than four decades, the Crime Victims’ Center has offered myriad services that include two 24-hour crisis hotlines, one for sexual assaults and one for other crimes; accompaniment for victims at police interviews and court proceedings as they navigate the often-daunting legal system; individual and group counseling; sensitivity training; support groups; and outreach programs on topics such as date rape and bullying.
The agency’s impact has frequently extended beyond the region. Groups from the U.S., Japan, New Zealand, and Russia have traveled to CVC’s West Chester office to copy its programs. In 2002, the Crime Victims’ Center was spotlighted in a TV documentary in Japan.
For more information about CVC and its work in Chester County, call 610-692-1926 or visit the agency’s website: www.cvcofcc.org.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Comments