Founded in 2015 by Paula Walters, an experienced paramedic and EMS educator as well as a survivor of domestic violence and strangulation, Standing Courageous was founded on 1 Corinthians 16:13:
“1 Cor 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
Standing Courageous, a nonprofit organization, initially focused on providing domestic violence education and awareness training to Police, Fire, and EMS, especially in the area of lethality factors such as strangulation. This training quickly grew to include audiences in Healthcare, Courts, Businesses, Schools, Places of Worship, and within the community as a whole. We believed that it was important for everyone to have an understanding about what their role was in responding to domestic violence and the impact such violence has on our lives.
In 2017, Jeni Gerber, a seasoned police officer, joined Standing Courageous as our president. Just 4 years previously, her 20-year-old daughter, Kaitlin, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. A tragedy that could have been prevented if law enforcement and court personnel had received the kind of training that Standing Courageous offers.
The training has since evolved to include training, held at the University of Toledo that brings together a collaboration of experts from varying professions to teach a Multi-Disciplined approach to respond to violence, and includes topics such as domestic/interpersonal violence, child and elder abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, understanding trauma, cultural considerations, immigration and crime, protection orders, and prosecution of a case. These partnerships are invaluable. It is our recognition that by working together, our response to violence is much more effective and will have the most positive impact on our communities.
Our mission is simple: to support victims and survivors of interpersonal violence, victim services, and promote safer communities through this educational outreach, because we believe that every person living in our communities deserves to live their lives free of violence.
Violence impacts all of us. Domestic violence and strangulation have been found to be precursors to murder. More than 50% of all mass killers have a history of domestic violence. Standing Courageous is committed to providing the education and training that will help make our communities a safer and healthier place to live.
Our team strives to offer our training to new audiences to build awareness. Programs can be tailored for specific audiences and various lengths. In addition to First Responders, Healthcare Workers, and Court Personnel, Standing Courageous provides training to Church groups, Block Watch organizations, Businesses, and Educational leaders. We are proud to say that since 2015, we have provided training to well over 1,000 people.
Together We Will Make a Difference!