November 1st marks the 11th year of the “new” Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. The new and improved version began on a cool crisp morning at a local Starbucks because Barbie Brashear and Amy Smith took a leap of faith and said it’s now or never to jump start the mission of DVCC – “to create collaborations that maximize community resources, increase safety for victims of domestic violence and hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable”.
But the seeds for HCDVCC were planted in 1995, when a group of people began meeting to strategize about how we can make it safer for victims in Harris County and how we could hold their offenders accountable. With a lot of arm twisting, begging and just right out demanding- Cindy Merrill, Gail O’Brien and Amy Smith convinced then District Attorney Johnny Holmes to partner with then HPD Chief Sam Nuchia, who was brought to the table by Vicki King, to convene a meeting of Stakeholders in the Community to address this issue. Jeff Basen-Engquist and Rhonda Gerson were the behind- the -scenes supporters and cheer leaders to get this meeting off the ground. So, the first meeting of what was to become HCDVCC meet in April of 1996 to begin the long journey to what we are today.
There are so many people that have contributed to our mission over the years by attending meetings, serving on the Board, working on “Best” Practice Protocols, participating in our Community Safety Assessments, guiding, and advising on how and when to apply for grants, and just generally supporting our work to fulfill our mission.
What started off in 1996 and revitalized in 2010 is so beyond what we could have imagined in our wildest dreams. So, thank you to all who have worked tirelessly to support us- we couldn’t have done this without you, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds.
We will be celebrating our founders at “Hats Off to HCDVCC” our postponed event on February 11, 2022.