ABSTRACT
Sally Evans of Cleveland, Ohio, explains why and how an organization was created. An organization was created. It all began with one woman telling stories of her personal experiences to another woman. The conception of a victims' rights organization can almost always be traced to a personal experience narrative. Those who have encountered the same abuses, the same frustrations in finding adequate assistance, the same feelings of isolation, the same need to find others to tell their stories to, eventually discover compassionate listeners who share a goal to end that particular victimization or at least to alleviate the injustices of its impact. She considered how folklorists have investigated the relationship between storytelling and the conscious selection of time and place for sharing stories. The planning and maintenance of such storytelling groups would be tantamount to "organizing" for individual and collective benefits.
