To the editor:

Imagine my surprise when Wednesday’s paper announced “Funding expands victim services.” Only hours before this was published, a handful of community volunteers and I attended an emergency board meeting of an agency delivering “victim services” and we planned and worried how to cut expenses and raise revenues to keep these services going. (The agency is GaDuGi SafeCenter, formerly Rape Victim Survivor Services, successfully operating for 35 years in the community).

The headline and story drastically miss the mark and leaves a wrong and dangerous impression. GaDuGi SafeCenter was awarded more than $42,000, but this is a 12 percent cut from last year and about $30,000 less than requested. That’s not enough money for a full-time professional’s salary and benefits, much less mileage reimbursement. And this for a person on-call 24/7, no less.

State and federal funding for work at the front of the system to prevent sexual violence is being cut as well. United Way, another funder, has graciously funded an innovative program for area youth, “Wednesdays at Liberty Hall,” but those funds are only considered start-up money. What then?

The Journal-World should be helping agencies like GaDuGi instead of leaving the impression that it’s sitting pretty and flush with money. Raising money for services related to sexual violence is already hard enough.

Mark Ezell,

Lawrence