Hannah Walker-Mengistu

August is National Wellness Month—a time when social media feeds inevitably flood with quick-fix reminders to optimize your routine, wake up at 5:00 AM, drink green juice, or perfect a 10-step self-care ritual. Healing isn't about becoming more efficient or performing self-care correctly.

Author’s Note: Before serving in the victim advocacy and community prevention field, my perspective on school safety was shaped directly within school walls. Having taught in public middle and high school classrooms and later served as an administrator at a private Pre-K through 8th-grade school, I’ve seen back-to-school season from almost every angle. I know firsthand that while physical safety protocols are necessary and life-saving, true safety isn't built on rigid security measures alone,...

For decades, the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley has worked behind the scenes—guiding survivors through courtrooms, hospitals, and counseling rooms. Today, we are opening up a new front. Welcome to The Ripple Effect, our official online space for insight, advocacy, and community education. We chose this name because a single shared resource, a clear answer, or a bold conversation ripples outward. It changes how a survivor heals, how a family offers support, and how a community...