P.O. Box 151240
San Diego, CA 92175-1240
Phone:
Fax:
(619) 278-2400
(619) 294-9405 e-mail: survivors@notorture.org
Website: www.notorture.org
Jeanette Barrack, RPT
Board Chairperson
David Engstrom, PhD
Vice Chairperson
Denise Francis, CPA
Financial Officer
Alisa A. Shorago, Esq.
Secretary
Jorge Cabrera, MSW
Board Member
Ann Durham, MSN, FNP, Esq.
Board Member
Carol Morabito, MSW
Board Member
Rev. William Radatz
Board Member
Diana Ross
Board Member
Kathi Anderson, MA
Ex-Officio Member
Dear Supporter:
Welcome to the Survivors of Torture, International Volunteer
Orientation! We are so happy to have you here and are so excited to work together to achieve our important goal or funding all of our wonderful programs.
Your time and energy is making an important difference in the lives of our clients. Survivors are brave and resourceful people, but they have endured torture, dangerous escapes from their homelands, and uncertain acceptance in a strange land. Your support is paying for the help they need to heal and begin new lives. Today, because of your support, survivors and their families are becoming active, healthy residents of San Diego County.
In this orientation we hope to offer you many ways to help
Survivors support our mission. We are hoping that you will take an ownership role in our organization and create unique opportunities for fundraising that best fit your personality and interests. We all have different strengths and one fundraising approach does not fit all. This is why we have chosen to let our supporters decide how they want to fundraise for us. What we will be offering are suggestions and support but we will look to you to get the ball rolling. We are always amazed at how committed our supporters are and we hope that the opportunity to be creative in your fundraising efforts will be a winning situation for us all!
We are hoping that this new effort will create a closer relationship between Survivors and our supporters. We want you to feel comfortable going out in your communities and advocating on our behalf and that is why we are making a much more substantial commitment to support you in these efforts. We will be available to answer any questions, provide any material, be available for speaking engagements and just to provide the general moral support that you may need with your fundraising endeavors.
Included in your orientation packet is an action plan. After you go away from this training we want you to really think about what ways you would like to contribute and get back to us with your plan. When we receive your plan we will start formulating a strategy to pull it off!
Let’s get started and fulfill or commitment to sustaining this good work that is so important to us all. Thank you again for your support!
Sincerely,
Sara Vaz
Special Initiatives Manager svaz@notorture.org

Proposed Event Type:
Date and Time of Event:
Location of Event:
Survivors Supplies Needed For Event:
Survivors Personnel Needed for Event:
Any other Assistance Survivors Can Provide for Event:
Please email action plans to Sara Vaz, svaz@notorture.org
or call with any questions: 619-278-2421.

House parties and other small events are great ways for our supporters to help us raise awareness about survivors of politically motivated torture living in San Diego and around the world. They are helpful for identifying friends, family, and coworkers who might want to make financial contributions to support our mission, and they’re an easy means of educating individuals who may be unfamiliar with torture and related issues.
Ready to plan? Here’s how to do it:
(1) Contact SURVIVORS. We can support you through the planning process and supply any materials you might need, such as brochures, newsletters, powerpoint presentations, fact sheets and donation envelopes.
(2) Decide what kind of event you want to host. Some ideas: o Invite SURVIVORS’ Board or Staff Members to Speak – Topics can include: effects of torture on individuals; needs of torture survivors living in San Diego; legal definitions of torture; journeys of refugees and asylum-seekers; prevalence of torture in today’s world; and specialized care that torture treatment centers like SURVIVORS provide. o Hold a Film Screening – We have many films and documentaries in our library. You can preview them prior to your screening. Some suggested movie titles include The Visitor (2007); Taxi to the Dark Side (2007); The Secret Life of
Words (2007), Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007), God Grew Tired of Us (2006); and
The Torture Question (2005), Chasing Freedom (2004). o Host an International Potluck – Invite your guests to bring foods and drinks representing different regions of the world. Over delicious cuisine, discuss
SURVIVORS’ work in a friendly, informal atmosphere. o Plan a quiz night with international trivia questions. o Bring the Subject of Human Rights to your Book Club – Possible books:
• The Blindfold’s Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth, Dianna Ortiz, 2002: Ortiz writes about the torture she experienced while working as a nun in Guatemala, and the emotions she encountered as she rebuilt her shattered life.
• Speak Truth to Power, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, 2000: A beautiful book that features the compelling testimonies of international human rights defenders.
• Truth, Torture, and the American Way, Jennifer Harbury, 2005: Harbury explores American involvement in torture and compares government-sponsored activities around the world.
• Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People, John Conroy, 2001: An investigation of torture in the
Western world, the rationalizations societies adopt to justify torture, and means by which ordinary people can become torturers. o Garage sales, softball tournaments, virtual parties, car washes, other ideas? We’d love to hear them & support your efforts.

(3) Determine logistics. o Where will you host it?
It might be easiest to host the event in your home, but schools, churches, and community centers may be options. o When will you host it?
Give yourself at least 4-5 weeks to plan and promote the party. o Will you need food, drinks or other supplies?
(4) Spread the word. Decide on a manageable list of guests and write down all of their contact information. Send e-mail or postal mail invitations three weeks in advance, then follow up with personal phone calls to individuals who have not responded by the RSVP date. People are flooded with information these days, and they might just need a reminder!
(5) Touch base with SURVIVORS about a week before the party and let us know about how many people you are expecting.
(6) Host the event. Arrange refreshments, set out the educational materials, welcome guests, and have a great time promoting SURVIVORS’ mission. o Have a sign-in sheet to compile the correct names, addresses, emails and phone numbers for everyone attending. o If someone asks you a question you can’t answer, just refer them to our fact sheets or our web site. We deal with some complex issues! o Conclude with planned remarks about how individuals can support
SURVIVORS. Emphasize how you become involved, the reasons that you care about SURVIVORS, and why you believe so strongly in SURVIVORS’ mission. The key to a successful event is to let your excitement and passion shine through. o Distribute the donation envelopes and pens.
Also provide information about alternative ways people can help. SURVIVORS can provide you with up-to-date information about advocacy efforts and volunteer opportunities.
(7) Follow-up. o Contact SURVIVORS and let us know how the event went!
Mail or email the sign-in sheet, as well as any donations you received. We’d also love to see photos or videos from the event. o Mail thank-you cards to everyone who attended.
SURVIVORS will send thank-you letters to each donor with information they will need for tax purposes.
Remember: when you invite your friends to a house party, you’re asking them to do
only what you’ve already done: support SURVIVORS’ services the best they can.

Volunteer Physicians
Physicians who volunteer for SURVIVORS document the physical consequences of torture and prepare written affidavits for presentation to the immigration court as part of the application for asylum. SURVIVORS provides orientation, training and ongoing consultation to all participating doctors.
Board of Directors
SURVIVORS is looking for volunteers to assist the board of directors by serving a board committee. Committees include: advocacy; finance; fund development and communications; and personnel and board development.
Organize a collection of old cell phones and ink cartridges
We collect these items to raise money for our program. Please ask for the Funding Factory information sheet for more information.
Volunteer Drivers
Volunteer drivers help SURVIVORS’ clients to keep important appointments for counseling, medical care, and other social services. The majority of these appointments occur during weekday work hours.
Befrienders
Befrienders provide social support to SURVIVORS’ clients, empowering clients to live independently in their new communities. We ask befrienders to make a commitment of six to eight hours per month for six months. (Note: There is currently a waiting list for this opportunity.)
Newsletter Volunteers
Every few months, volunteers gather to prepare more than
4,000 newsletters to be mailed (photo at left). There’s always food and socializing, and we welcome new faces!
Promote SURVIVORS on your social networking page.
We’re on Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube. Help us raise awareness by adding us as your friend!