Oregon Department of Justice

Attorney General Hardy Myers today announced that the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) has requested that Oregon send a second Crisis Response Team to aid the victims of the September 11 attack in New York.

The first NOVA team returned to Oregon following a weeklong effort on Monday, September 24. The new team is scheduled to leave Oregon this Sunday, returning October 7.

"Oregon's NOVA teams are providing critical training for local officials and other care givers," Myers said. "We will continue to offer our support in any way we can for as long as it is needed."

The travel and expenses of the NOVA teams, whose training is sponsored by the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) Crime Victims Assistance Program, are financed exclusively through donations. Oregon's second team consists of eight members gathered from throughout the state. The members are:

• Dr. Evelyn Morely, Portland State University professor, Portland
• Mary Ellege, chapter leader of Parents of Murdered Children, Oregon City
• John Woodland, school psychologist, South Coast E.S.D., Gold Beach
• Tim Brueckner, pastor, Bethany Lutheran Church, Gold Beach
• Louisa Allman, victim advocate, Pendleton
• Valerie Dionne, volunteer coordinator/victim advocate, Portland Police Bureau, Portland
• Connie Gallagher, director, DOJ, Salem
• Cynthia Stinson, outreach coordinator, DOJ, Salem