THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9409300259
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
AS DINERS FEAST at the Great American Food Fest Wednesday they can feel good in the knowledge they're helping elderly victims of crime and contributing to other good works in the South Norfolk area.
Proceeds from the Food Fest will be used to help benefit community service projects of the South Norfolk Ruritans and the Chesapeake Sheriff's Elderly and Indigent Victims Assistance Program.
``We split the pot,'' explained Sheriff John R. Newhart. ``Each gets half. The South Norfolk Ruritans put their money right back into the community with such things as scholarships, community service programs and helping support such activities as the annual Fourth of July Picnic, the South Norfolk Clean-Up Campaign and other worthwhile projects and causes. David Roughton of the Chesapeake Planning Department is president, and he and the Ruritans are making sure the South Norfolk community benefits.''
Newhart said the other half goes to help senior citizens who have been victimized by crime.
He and personnel in his office can tell scores of stories about lonely, elderly people who have been burglarized. Vulnerable, lonely people living on meager fixed incomes.
The sheriff's office has released a composite profile of two typical victims:
``George and Mary (not their real names) live in different sections of the city. They have very little in common except both are elderly and have been victims of crime.
George has no family whatsoever and lives, month to month, on Social Security. He lives in a part of town where few ever visit. George rarely has visitors and his only ``luxury'' is a small 12-inch television set, which is George's window to the outside world as well as his companion and friend.
But recently while George was at a doctor's appointment, someone stole his television. What was a priceless possession to him probably netted the thief only $15 on the black market.
Mary lives in a different part of town. She lives comfortably on a small income provided by her husband after his death. But like George, she is alone.
She is a trusting soul who allowed some `friends' to handle her bills. Within a few months, though, a large portion of her bank account was gone. Her bills remained unpaid, her utilities were cut off and the `friends' left town.''
Newhart said the above scenarios are typical of the victims he and his staff hear about regularly.
In many localities ``Mary'' and ``George'' would have had nowhere to go, Newhart said, but because they live in Chesapeake they were able to turn to the Elderly and Indigent Victim's Assistance Program, which provided George with a new television and found a guardian to visit Mary every week to help her pay her bills and take her shopping.
``My staff goes over the daily crime reports,'' Newhart said. ``They identify and find out about the elderly victims. We then have someone check out each case to make sure they don't have insurance or other incomes. To make sure they are truly in need. If we find out they only have a small, fixed income we help them the best way we can. I can tell you this, our fund has helped replace many things in the community.''
Newhart said the fund, which is coordinated by Joyce Walsh, spends between $10,000 to $12,000 on hundreds of victims each year.
``We're regularly audited, and we're very careful with the money,'' he said. ``We run a tight ship.''
In fact, Newhart's fund and Food Fest seems to be a model for others around the country.
``I know there are guys from Dallas coming down to see how we do it,'' Newhart said. ``The Texas Sheriff's Association recently paid my way to Austin to have me tell them how we run the Food Fest and how we set up the fund.''
In addition, Newhart said, when each victim's case is investigated, his employees offer tips on home security and in many cases even help pay for locks and other security measures.
And more is done.
Every winter, the fund provides Christmas baskets to each of the victims helped by the program during the year, and in the spring Newhart's office sponsors, organizes and pays for a Senior Citizen's Crime Seminar at the South Norfolk Community Center.
The event is free to all the city's seniors, offers lunch and provides tips on home security, self-defense, saving money, how to avoid scams and con artists and scores of other useful knowledge to allow the city's elderly to live safer and happier lives. MEMO: [For a related story, see page 14 of The Clipper for this date.]
ILLUSTRATION: Sheriff John R. Newhart started the Food Fest to help crime
victims.
by CNB