Behind the Badge
Elizabeth has no recollection of the fraction of a second that altered her life forever, the night of Sept. 2, 2013, when a bullet fired from a 9 mm gun in the hands of a gang member ripped through her nostril and exited through the back of her head.
The 31-year-old caretaker was standing on the curb in front of a home in Santa Ana, waiting for a friend to pick her up.
Two gang members happened to notice Elizabeth as they were driving by.
They stopped in front of her. There was a conversation … then a gunshot.
“I don’t remember any of it,” said Elizabeth, now 35, and wife and mother of three, who was left partially paralyzed from the shooting.
Elizabeth connected with Crime Survivors, an Orange County nonprofit that provides support, resources and advocacy for crime victims and their families.
T-shirts, each with a message or design honoring survivors of violent crimes, were on display during the 2016 Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk. The event raises money and awareness for Crime Survivors, a nonprofit that advocates for survivors of crimes. Photo courtesy of Patricia Wenskunas
“I might not even be here if it wasn’t for their support,” Elizabeth said. “I’ve been through a lot.”
Elizabeth hopes to join others who’ve been victimized by violent crimes that will be participating in Crime Survivors’ 13th Annual Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk and Health & Safety Expo.
The event, which takes place April 8 at Mason Park in Irvine, serves as a fundraiser and a way to raise awareness of the issues faced by crime victims.
Crime Survivors was founded by Patricia Wenskunas, an advocate for victims of violent crime, who herself survived a brutal attack in her home on April 4, 2002.
Patricia Wenskunas, center, founder of Crime Survivors and organizer for the Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk, looks on as a dove is released to honor crime victims during the 2016 event. Photo courtesy of Patricia Wenskunas
Wenskunas was bound and beaten before jumping from a 12-foot-high balcony to the kitchen floor below to escape and get help.
The ordeal, followed by the tribulations of navigating a criminal justice system that seemed to offer little support for the crime victims, motivated Wenskunas into action.
In 2003, Wenskunas founded Crime Survivors, with emphasis on the word “survivors.”
Victims of violent crimes are not really victims at all, Wenskunas said.
“I don’t want another person to go through what I had to go through,” Wenskunas said. “I don’t want us to be seen as victims. I want to be defined as a survivor.”
A T-shirt is adorned with an inspirational message in recognition of survivors of violent crimes. Photo courtesy of Patricia Wenskunas
Crime Survivors can guide survivors to service providers, offer legal help, provide case managers, funding for education and other resources.
“It gives us the courage to stand up for who we are and what we’ve been through,” Elizabeth said.
Crime Survivors also sponsors several holiday-themed events and banquets for survivors and family members.
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes will be among law enforcement officials from throughout the region who plan to attend the Survive & Thrive event.
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes releases a dove in honor of survivors of violent crimes during the 2016 Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk. Photo courtesy of Patricia Wenskunas
“By helping victims understand their rights and by directing them to the services they most need, we can play an integral role in empowering victims to not only survive, but thrive in their personal lives,” Barnes said of Crime Survivors.
Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes participates in a push-up challenge during the 2016 Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk. Photo courtesy of Patricia Wenskunas
Orange County police chiefs scheduled to attend the Survive & Thrive event include Charles Celano (Tustin), Robert Handy (Huntington Beach), Mike Hamel (Irvine) and Carlos Rojas (Santa Ana).
Survive & Thrive 5K Run/Walk, Health & Safety Expo
Live entertainment, free refreshments, carnival games, health screenings, survivors’ dove release
When: 7 a.m. to noon, April 8
Where: Mason Regional Park, 18712 University Dr., Irvine
Cost: $25 for pre-registration; children under 12, $20
For information and to register: surviveandthriverunwalk.org or crimesurvivors.com
