March 2024 with Marsy's Law for Oklahoma
With the goal of fellowship and recruiting new advisory board members, the Oklahoma team recently hosted a reception as our annual kickoff gathering, in a departure from the day-long board retreat. While the more formal, agenda-driven structure serves as a great educational and forecasting opportunity, during this year’s event we were able to coordinate more candid conversations and mingling, which included current advisory board members and a few guests.
One guest is a bilingual forensic interviewer who works with children and people with IDD who are crime victims. Another guest is a domestic violence victim advocate who works with native and non-native victims in western Oklahoma. Also in attendance was longtime MLOK supporter Sarah Burdine, VP at Oklahoma Homicide Survivors Support Group, and new contact Rebecca Cunningham, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Victims of Impaired Drivers, who joined us as well. Each guest was primed on the advisory board objectives and invited to join, pending vetting. We also distributed purple lightbulbs in advance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW), which will take place April 21–27.
This year's gathering marked the latest success in our work to strengthen ties and broaden the community of support for victims in Oklahoma. By engaging in meaningful conversations with guests from diverse backgrounds, including those on the front lines of victim advocacy and support, we not only shared our vision but also inspired new voices to join our cause. The distribution of purple lightbulbs symbolized our collective commitment to shining a light on crime victims' rights, setting a hopeful tone for NCVRW. As we move forward, the insights and connections forged during this reception will undoubtedly fuel our efforts to advocate for victims' rights in Oklahoma with renewed vigor and purpose.