FBI Portland
Portland Media Office
(503) 460-8060
April 18, 2016

Troutdale Woman Presented with FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for Oregon

On Friday, April 15, 2016, FBI Director James B. Comey presented June Vining with the 2015 Community Leadership Award for her work in Oregon. Ms. Vining is the founder and Executive Director of the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) in Portland and Vancouver.

Ms. Vining started as a volunteer with the local TIP chapter more than 20 years ago, believing it would give her insight into the work that her husband does as a local police detective. As she became more involved, she realized that survivors of trauma are often left without support once the first responders leave. TIP fills that gap—dispatching trained volunteers to work with victims and families immediately following a traumatic event. Fire and police officers request TIP resources to all kinds of scenes—those involving natural or unexpected deaths, home fires, car accidents, and more—to provide emotional first aid and practical support. That support can take the form of notifying family members, helping to make funeral arrangements, and, sometimes, calling crews to help with crime-scene clean-up.

In recent years, Ms. Vining started a first-in-the-nation effort through TIP to bring teenagers into the program. These younger volunteers work with mentors to help support friends and families affected by teen suicides, fatal accidents and school shootings.

There are currently more than 200 trained volunteers supporting TIP in the Portland Vancouver area. The local affiliate has grown to the busiest and largest in the U.S.

“June says that her volunteers are there to help people on what can be the worst day of their lives. When her own family suffered a tragedy, she turned that experience into more than two decades of dedicated service to thousands of others. It is a testament to both her personal strength and goodness of spirit,” said Greg Bretzing, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “She exemplifies the true spirit of leadership.”

In addition to her work in Oregon and Southwest Washington, Ms. Vining is a nationally-recognized trauma intervention expert who regularly teaches and presents all over the country.

You can find more information about TIP through its website at http://www.tipnw.org.

About the Award

Every year, each of the FBI’s 56 field divisions chooses one person or organization to receive the Director’s Community Leadership Award. Each recipient must have shown a commitment to crime prevention or community service.

Note to media: You may download a high resolution image of Ms. Vining receiving the award from FBI Director James Comey at https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/partnerships_and_outreach/community_outreach/dcla/2015/portland