CNN Names VLS Alumnus Hero of 2010
January 12, 2010
Wynona Ward ’98 is a victim turned fighter.
Sexually abused as a child, she has spent the past 12 years as a relentless legal advocate for battered women and children in rural Vermont.
Since she created the nonprofit group Have Justice Will Travel, her efforts have been nationally recognized by the media and legal profession. But Ward received additional attention on Jan. 8, 2010, when CNN selected her as its first “CNN Hero” of 2010.
“I think it’s wonderful to get the exposure for our program, but it’s even more important that people realize domestic violence is an epidemic and so many people need help,” Ward said. “It’s a society-wide problem, but we’re making progress in helping people to start their lives over.”
VLS alumnus Wynona Ward ’98 has been named Hero of 2010 by CNN.
Ward, 58, who grew up in poverty in rural Vermont where family violence was common, was working as a long-haul trucker when she decided to take her life in a different direction in 1996. She enrolled at VLS, was awarded a Schweitzer Fellowship, and went on to found Have Justice Will Travel after graduating in 1998. Since then, the organization has provided free legal and social support to more than 10,000 low-income women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.
Ward and her small staff visit victims of domestic violence in their homes, bridging the cultural, geographic and financial gaps that can separate victims and attorneys. Four-wheel drive is often needed to reach isolated clients.
“Our goal is to stop the generational cycle of abuse,” she said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Have Justice Will Travel depends on grants and donations, which have dropped off during the recession.
“Our contributions are in trouble this year because of the economy,” she said, “so every little bit helps.”
More information is available at www.havejusticewilltravel.org/
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