A Survivor's Story: Lorraine

It’s survivor stories that serve as lessons for others who have experienced gender-based and/or intimate partner violence.

Those words are Lorraine’s mantra. They served her well several years ago as she faced her own survival path and continue to serve her well today.

Lorraine is a survivor of intimate partner violence and abuse; a journey of self reconciliation that she lives with every single day. HOPE would become her healing mechanism after her experience with IPV/abuse that occurred over three decades of marriage.

Paralyzed with fear of not being believed, learning about deceit and betrayal that came out after her separation, learning about lawsuits against her abuser’s business of which she had no knowledge (and she held a Board position in that business), trials of dealing with both financial and emotional abuse at the hands of her abuser, followed by sexual abuse through the frequency of website pornography - were just a few of the unimaginable things she had to endure in her quest for HOPE and healing.

Lorraine’s experience, story and being A SURVIVOR - is giving her the courage, strength and drive to advocate for the others that are out there - those who have been victimized by violence. Those “others” who are silent, want to be free of their silence, even those who are fresh out of breaking their silence, or sadly those who have succumbed to the worst silence of all – a permanent silence.

Lorraine is inspiring because she IS the victim’s voice. She is a volunteer ground warrior doing the underground work in supporting victims of domestic violence. As a proud advocate for Violence Against Women (VAW), Lorraine is a public speaker and educator through her lived experience on the topic of domestic violence and abuse.

In early 2022 she joined the Victim Services Unit with Halton Regional Police Service as a Volunteer. For six years Lorraine served as:

• A Crisis Phone Line Volunteer & Public Educator with SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area). In this capacity she spent hours volunteering on the crisis line, co-facilitating new trainees for the crisis line, and educating the community on SACHA’s mandate at public events.
• A Committee Member and Survivor Representative with Halton Violence Prevention Council & Speaker’s Bureau. In this role she attended quarterly meetings with organization partners such as: Halton Police, NINA’s Place, CAS, VAW, etc., all in the capacity of representing the “survivors voice”.

Lorraine is a kind, understanding, and determined advocate. She doesn't let her experiences define her - she lets them empower her. She uses her experience and knowledge to see the world as a place where you can always find support and get to a better place for yourself; after all, there is always hope.

We are honoured that Lorraine currently serves as a Director/Board Member of SAFE and was recently appointed Chair of the SAFE Committee.