Here's how you can support St. Clair County crime victims

Laura Fitzgerald, Port Huron Times Herald
·3 min read
Mara McCalmon crosses the finish line during the 2015 P.S. You're My Hero 5K run at Vantage Point.
Mara McCalmon crosses the finish line during the 2015 P.S. You're My Hero 5K run at Vantage Point.

When P.S. You're My Hero founder Mara McCalmon endured criminal proceedings in the year following her husband's murder in 2010, there were few resources or crime victims like her.

Now, the St. Clair County Victim's Rights Office offers a comfort room, refreshments, financial support and a therapy dog, all funded through P.S. You're My Hero.

Residents have the chance to support crime victims through the nonprofit's annual 5K Run/2 Mile Walk, set for 9 a.m. Sept. 18 in front of the YMCA of the Blue Water Area.

McCalmon said the event will also include a gift basket raffle, a silent auction that will include vacation packages and food truck No Forks Given.

To register, visit psyouremyhero.org/. Registration before Sept. 10 is $30; after that, it's $35.

While last year's turnout was smaller due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McCalmon said she hopes this year's event returns to larger numbers. The race is the nonprofit's largest fundraiser.

The nonprofit accepts donations year-round. Mail checks made payable to P.S. You're My Hero to the St. Clair County Courthouse at 201 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron, MI, 48060, with attn: Victim's Rights #3308.

More on P.S. You're My Hero

P.S. You're My Hero provides financial assistance to crime victims in various ways, such as counseling packages, rent and utility assistance, medical bills or food vouchers while attending court hearings, McCalmon said.

"This is a way to value victims, to say hey, we care about you. We're here for you, and if nothing else, we're acknowledging you and I think that's super important," McCalmon said.

The new P.S. You're My Hero Comfort Room, which is inside the Victim Rights Office at the St. Clair County Courthouse, offers victims a separate waiting area with coffee and light snacks.
The new P.S. You're My Hero Comfort Room, which is inside the Victim Rights Office at the St. Clair County Courthouse, offers victims a separate waiting area with coffee and light snacks.

The nonprofit has also funded several projects at the St. Clair County Victims Rights Office, which helps victims navigate the criminal justice system and access financial assistance.

In 2018, P.S. You're My Hero helped fund the purchase of Bruin, a golden retriever trained to comfort victims during testimony, in between court hearings and in interviews with prosecutors.

A year later, a comfort room was opened in the St. Clair County Crime Victim's Rights Office with the help of the nonprofit. The area offers two rooms filled with comfortable furniture and refreshments to give victims and their families a place to gather before and after hearings.

Bruin, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, sleeps on the floor of the Crime Victim's Rights Unit Wednesday, April 7, 2021, in the St. Clair County Courthouse in Port Huron. Bruin is part of the Canine Advocacy Program, a service that provides direct support to victims involved in the criminal justice system.
Bruin, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, sleeps on the floor of the Crime Victim's Rights Unit Wednesday, April 7, 2021, in the St. Clair County Courthouse in Port Huron. Bruin is part of the Canine Advocacy Program, a service that provides direct support to victims involved in the criminal justice system.

Victims Rights Coordinator Cortney Carl said the room was especially helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when victims weren't allowed in the courtroom due to gathering restrictions. Some victims could watch proceedings or testify from a laptop in the comfort room.

This April, P.S. You're My Hero helped support crime victims through donations to the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council and Blue Water Safe Horizons.

"It was really cool for us because we know that victims are affected in so many different ways ... so this is just another way to help victims through other organizations," McCalmon said.

Mara McCalmon, center, a violent crime survivor and founder of P.S. You're My Hero, cuts the ribbon for the P.S. You're My Hero Comfort Room with victims rights advocate Cortney Carl, second from left, during a ceremony held Friday, April 12, 2019 at the St. Clair County Courthouse.
Mara McCalmon, center, a violent crime survivor and founder of P.S. You're My Hero, cuts the ribbon for the P.S. You're My Hero Comfort Room with victims rights advocate Cortney Carl, second from left, during a ceremony held Friday, April 12, 2019 at the St. Clair County Courthouse.

Carl and McCalmon said P.S. You're My Hero has improved crime victims' experience by acknowledging them and helping address their needs.

"There was no real amenities or ways to help people. There is now and we hope just to build and strengthen that," McCalmon said. "Always putting victims first, that's our goal."

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: P.S. You're my Hero event supports St. Clair County crime victims