The Center would like to highlight and give a special shoutout to Tasha Sadowicz, who was selected as our volunteer spotlight for the month! Tasha has been incredibly dedicated since she began volunteering and has a such a strong passion for helping others and willingness to help out. We are grateful to have her as a volunteer! Learn more about Tasha below:
Tasha Sadowicz has been a volunteer Victim Advocate for the Coast Guard since 2013. She has continually worked to strengthen the Coast Guard response to sexual assault survivors through trainings and policy changes. She is a Bystander Intervention Training Instructor, providing training to different CG units to increase awareness of every member’s personal responsibility to their shipmates
Currently, she is an officer stationed at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown as the Personnel Support Branch Chief. She is a well-rounded Response Officer with sea, air and shore tours, serving at units in Charleston, SC, Detroit, MI, Miami, FL, and St. Louis, MO.
Tasha is a native Texan; however, as a proud Air Force brat and second-generation military officer, she spent her childhood moving around the world including eight years in England. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Environmental Sciences and completes her Master’s degree in June. She is married to Slawomir Sadowicz of Detroit, MI and they have a daughter, Karina and son, Konrad. She enjoys running, reading, and playing with her adorable, high-energy kids!
What made you want to volunteer with the Center?
I was warmly greeted by the Coast Guard Virginia Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Mr. Terrence Tanner. Through one of his well put together Victim Advocate Training Days, the Center Staff provided a great presentation and I was hooked! I am new to the Newport News area and wanted to both join the community and volunteer and the Center offers a chance for both! I also really appreciate more opportunities to practice my Victim Advocate skills to assist people in need.
What do you enjoy most about this work?
I have enjoyed helping to connect someone in need with what they need. I was pretty nervous answering my first call but realized that people are often looking for someone to LISTEN to them. The Center Staff has been great coaching me through my first calls and I am grateful to be part of the team. I hope the pandemic reduces to a point where we can support survivors in the hospital when they need us the most.
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