Reflections from the Executive Director of Karolina’s Place
5-minute read · Published July 3, 2026
When people find out I’m the Executive Director of The Peace of Mind Foundation and Karolina’s Place, they sometimes ask me a question that always makes me smile.
“Do you still answer the hotline?”
When I tell them yes, the next question usually follows.
“Why?”
It’s a fair question. More than twenty years in, I am still a sexual assault hotline advocate, and I have no plans to stop.
Leading a nonprofit means there are grants to write, budgets to review, meetings to attend, partnerships to build, policies to develop, and about a hundred other things that somehow all need to fit into a single day. Those things matter. They make our work possible. But they were never the reason I chose this field.
My Journey as a Sexual Assault Hotline Advocate
My journey began in 2003 as an intern at the Domestic Violence Service Center in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Like most interns, I walked through the doors hoping to learn. I certainly hoped I could make a difference, but I had no idea that one internship would shape the rest of my life.
When my internship came to an end, I had the opportunity to help write a grant that created a full-time position. When the grant was funded, I was fortunate enough to stay.
Looking back now, I realize that experience taught me something I still carry with me today. Helping people isn’t only about being there in moments of crisis. It’s also about building programs that make sure help is there for the next person who needs it.
That lesson followed me throughout my career. Eventually, my journey brought me to New Jersey, where I had the privilege of working with several organizations supporting individuals and families who had experienced trauma. Later, I found my way to Union County’s sexual violence program, where I worked within the program and also volunteered as a confidential sexual violence advocate.
What Survivors Have Taught Me
People sometimes ask me what I remember most after more than two decades in this work. Honestly, I don’t think about job titles. I think about people.
I think about the survivor who wasn’t sure anyone would believe them.
I think about the person who finally found the courage to make the call.
I think about the moments when someone realized they didn’t have to carry what happened to them alone anymore.
Those are the moments that stay with you.
Over the years, I’ve learned that survivors are some of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Strength doesn’t always look the way we expect.
Sometimes strength is making one phone call.
Sometimes it’s showing up to counseling.
Sometimes it’s asking questions.
Sometimes it’s simply getting through today.
I’ve also learned that healing looks different for everyone. There isn’t one right path. There isn’t one timeline. Every survivor deserves the space to make the decisions that feel right for them.
I think that’s one of the reasons I still answer the hotline. Every conversation reminds me why this work matters. Every counseling session reminds me why we write grants. Every survivor reminds me why partnerships matter. Those experiences help keep every decision grounded in the people we’re here to serve. If you have ever wondered what one of those calls is actually like, we wrote about what happens when you call.
I don’t believe that’s the only way to lead a nonprofit. Every organization is different, and every leader serves in the way that’s best for their team and their mission. For me, though, staying connected to direct service helps me remember why we do all of this in the first place.
Why We Named Our Center Karolina’s Place
Years ago, I had the privilege of knowing Karolina Szatkowski. Karolina was an incredible advocate, a thoughtful leader, and someone who believed deeply in treating every survivor with dignity and compassion. She understood that advocacy wasn’t about taking someone’s power. It was about helping them reconnect with it.
When Karolina passed away, our field lost someone truly special. I lost a friend. I’ve often thought that if she were still here today, we’d probably be working together, sharing ideas, finding new ways to support survivors, and laughing our way through the difficult days that come with this work.
Naming our center Karolina’s Place felt like the most meaningful way to continue the legacy she left behind. Not simply by remembering her, but by living the values she believed in every single day.
What Karolina’s Place Offers Survivors
Today, through Karolina’s Place, we’re honored to provide confidential sexual violence services to survivors throughout Union County. Whether someone reaches out hours after an assault or decades later, they deserve to be believed. They deserve choices. They deserve compassionate care. They deserve hope.
Every day, our team provides confidential support through our 24-hour hotline, trauma-informed counseling, non-acute accompaniment to medical, legal, and court appointments, advocacy, support groups, safety planning, referrals, community education, and services in both English and Spanish.
As Union County’s designated provider, we also work alongside statewide partners like the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and survivors can always reach national support through RAINN.
No one should ever have to navigate healing alone.
It Takes All of Us
One thing this work has taught me is that none of us changes lives by ourselves.
Every advocate.
Every counselor.
Every volunteer.
Every healthcare professional.
Every law enforcement officer.
Every donor.
Every community partner.
Every person who chooses to show up becomes part of someone else’s healing journey.
How to Become a Sexual Assault Hotline Advocate
That’s one of the reasons I love talking about volunteering. People often think they need to have all the answers before they apply. The truth is, none of us started with all the answers. We started by caring.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you could make a difference in someone’s life, I hope you’ll consider becoming a volunteer advocate. We’ll provide the training. We’ll provide the support. You bring your compassion and your willingness to learn. We also wrote an honest, detailed look at what the training and time commitment actually involve, if you want the practical version before you decide.
You never know whose life might change because you answered the phone, listened without judgment, or simply reminded someone that they weren’t alone.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a sexual assault hotline advocate, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply to Become a Volunteer Advocate
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
If there’s one thing I hope you take away, it isn’t my story. It’s that behind every hotline call, every counseling session, every volunteer, every grant, and every program is one simple belief:
Every survivor deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and hope.
That belief has guided me since I was an intern in 2003. It guides me today. And I hope it will continue to guide Karolina’s Place for many years to come.
About the Author
Kristina Silvestry is the Executive Director of The Peace of Mind Foundation and Karolina’s Place, Union County’s Sexual Violence Advocacy and Resource Center. She has worked alongside survivors of domestic and sexual violence since 2003 and continues to provide counseling and volunteer as a sexual assault hotline advocate.
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Need to talk to someone?
Karolina’s Place offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day for survivors of sexual violence in Union County. Call our hotline at 908-233-7273. Help is available in English and Spanish.