Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence to honor an amazing Victim Services Advocate

I am thrilled to share the news that the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence has chosen to honor Betsy Jo Fairbrother, an incredible advocate with a local police department's Victim Services program, who has helped countless victims of domestic violence throughout her career. I can't even begin to imagine how many women's and children's lives have been touched by her while having their lives greatly improved as a direct result of her services.

In fact, Betsy was my advocate when I was going through my Order of Protection hell, and I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. She was there for me, practically 24/7 and totally helped me get my life back. I actually nominated her for the award, and it's awesome to know that something positive has come out of my own horrible experience.

When I nominated her, I heard through the domestic violence community that many, many women have been singing her praises over the years, and there are a lot of people in the domestic violence realm, from judges to police officers to victim services volunteers, who are aware of Betsy's powerful reputation. This is the first year that such an award has been bestowed on a victim services advocate by the Coalition, and it's only fitting that it would go to Betsy.

I continue to thank my lucky stars that I just happened to get paired up with Betsy back when I first got involved with the police and decided to file an Order of Protection against my then-husband, Neil. She is one incredibly strong woman I'll never forget.