How can I help?

First let us thank you for taking this first step to support us! Help is always greatly appreciated no matter what form it is in. There are a couple ways to help!

The first way is in the form of a donation. Donations are always welcome in various forms. There is a link to our paypal account on our website -- http://www.woodbridgedvrt.org/pages/donate.html -- or you can mail in a check to DVRT 1 Main St. Woodbridge, NJ 07095. If you are interested in donating food or clothing please call or email so we can properly assess our needs and where your donations will be the most appreciated! 

The second way is to become a volunteer and join our team! All prospective volunteers are required to complete an application. You can download the application from our website -- http://www.woodbridgedvrt.org/document/DV_Application.pdf
Once your completed application is received, a criminal background check and an interview will be conducted. All applicants must possess a valid NJ driver's license and have their own transportation to police headquarters for assistance calls. Please note: Applicants that have criminal records or have been convicted of domestic violence may be denied acceptance. Other conditions that may prevent an applicant's approval include, but are not limited to, psychiatric or mental problems, inability to read, write, or clearly speak English, alcohol or substance abuse problems, or any other issue that may interfere with the applicant's ability to assist a domestic violence victim.

After your application has been approved you will then need to attend 40 hours of training conducted during evening and/or weekend hours. Here you will learn valuable information about domestic violence and how to help a victim in need. Once the mandatory classroom training is completed, the new members will spend their first 10 hours in the field with a veteran team for additional training experience. Team members are required to be "on call" a minimum of 2 shifts per month. While the team member is "on call", s/he will need to be accessible by phone and the police department will call the team member to respond to headquarters to assist a victim. The team members are expected to respond immediately when called. Additional training may be required during the team members' time on the team.

In addition to responding to headquarters to assist victims, the team is involved in many community events to promote public awareness and education on domestic violence. All team members are expected to participate in as many events as possible. Team meetings are held once a month to discuss these events and other team related doings.

While this team does do a wonderful service to the township of Woodbridge by helping it's domestic violence victims, we also promote community pride with the various functions we host during the year. We hope you will considering joining us as a team member or at any one of our many gatherings around town!