Each spring, victim advocates from the First Judicial District gather for the annual Courage Walk, which coincides with National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 2-8, 2017).  National Crime Victims' Rights Week recognizes the devastating impact crime has on victims and communities. The Courage Walk is a time to honor the strength and courage of the survivors we have come to know in the aftermath of crime.

Download the 2017 Courage Walk brochure

Walking in Remembrance

The Victim Rights Week is also a time to speak in unison for victims' rights and services, today and in the future.  Let us take you back a few years in time to three events that affected our communities, families and friends.

For the families and friends of victims of violence, time takes on an entirely different meaning than for most. Those not directly affected by such a tragedy often forget the story. To the survivors, families and friends of the victim, it can seem like it happened just yesterday … a moment in time that is never forgotten.

There are so many tragic crimes. We often wonder how anyone dealing with a murder, rape, abuse or domestic violence can make it through another day. In all three cases above, not only did we have help from family, friends and the community, we had help from victim outreach and victim service providers.

Victim Services was established in 1986 and provides victims with emotional support and resources to promote healing and hope. They provide victims with information about what was going to happen before, during and after a trail. They not only give you a safe place to vent but they give you the means to regain control.

Victim service providers in Jefferson and Gilpin County still provide us a place that promotes healing and hope, and that is the Courage Garden. Every year, since 1993, Victim Service providers in Jefferson and Gilpin Counties host an annual Courage Walk to honor the courage we witness in survivors of violent crime or other traumatic events in our community. Over the past fourteen years the number of participants who take that mile walk to the Courage Garden has grown. It is a peaceful walk with some participants holding hands, some with tears in their eyes, and in the background the laughter of children and the occasional barking of dogs. Some participants ride bicycles. Some choose to walk in silence.

If you would like to become a volunteer victim advocate, please contact the JCSO Victim Services Manager at 303-271-5570. 
If you would like to donate to the Victim Outreach Incorporated (VOI) P.O. Box 18941, Golden, CO 80402. VOI is a non-profit that provides advocacy services to crime victims.