(ABC 6 News) – Victim Services of Dodge and Olmsted Counties will hold training for volunteers to help with their 24/7 crisis line.

After a decrease in volunteers during the pandemic, Victim Services now looks for people to complete a state-mandated 40 hours of training to become a certified sexual-assault advocate in Minnesota.

The training will start on Feb. 26, with the hours broken up to Monday and Wednesday evenings over the course of five weeks.

Victim Services believes that everyone who decides to volunteer will be helping those in the community.

“It really takes a whole community to do this kind of work and our volunteers really make that possible. Our volunteers are a really valuable part of our victim services team,” said Sarah Palmer, Violence Prevention and Volunteer Coordinator, Dodge and Olmsted County Victim Services.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering, click here.