From: Roby, Sarah (CDC/NCIPC/DVP)
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2025 5:07:15 PM
To: CDC NCIPC DVP ALL
Cc:
Subject: A love letter to the Division of Violence Prevention
As I sit down to write this letter, I am not sure what the future holds. However, I do know how
important it feels for me to send these words. So here goes….
I imagine most of us are filled with anxiety and fear right now. As my own anxiety and fear ebb
and flow, I am also filled with an immense sense of gratitude and love.
Eight years ago when I started in the Division of Violence Prevention, I was a fresh faced, very
green MPH student — so intimidated by thought of working with names that I used as citations
since undergrad. This was THE place I had dreamed of being as a student.
I felt a calling to work in the field of violence prevention at the ripe age of 20. I will never forget
the day a woman came to the domestic violence shelter where I worked in Henry County. She
had come to us from Oklahoma and arrived on a Greyhound bus torn down and worn out. Her
abuser had thrown her and her dog off the balcony of their apartment, and she felt broken –
physically, mentally, and emotionally. She wept as I hugged her and put her belongings into the
grass in front of the house. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. I will never forget the
look in her eyes, and the grief she carried. That night as I drove home, I knew that there had to
be a better way, but just didn’t know how… yet.
Her story and so many others, including mine, all led me here. And these personal stories are
what makes our division so special. Each of us a story, or many, that all led us here. We’ve all
seen the impacts of violence and experienced that grief. But we somehow crafted this grief and
pain into fuel and passion for our work. We are special BECAUSE of who we are and what
we’ve experienced. Our unique experiences and passion came together to build this beautiful
place of resilience, strength, and dedication. I am SO incredibly proud of the home we’ve
created and the people we’ve chosen to share our work family with. And I’m even more proud of
our commitment to help every person live a life free of violence and build a country where
everyone feels safe.
Our shared values and passion created some of the strongest bonds and friendships I’ve ever
known. Outside of our division, I’ve never really felt understood by family or friends. They tried
their best to understand how much I care about violence prevention, but they never deeply