Representative Dontavius Jarrells and Senator Susan Manchester

ODVN honored Senator Susan Manchester and Representative Dontavius Jarrells with the Croucher Family Award for Outstanding Leadership on Oct. 21, 2026.

Senator Manchester, who is serving her first term in the Senate after three terms in the House, was honored for her advocacy for Ohio’s most vulnerable families. She’s currently sponsoring Senate Bill 225, which recognizes that family members of domestic violence survivors can also face intimidation, retaliation, and safety threats. The bill would expand Ohio’s Safe at Home program, so more victims of violent crimes are eligible for address confidentiality. The Senate passed the bill in May, and we believe the bill’s prospects are good in the House later this year. If the bill becomes law, victims of any crime that caused serious physical harm — and their families — will be able to keep their addresses confidential.

Representative Dontavius Jarrells’ legislative record includes several bills that aimed to strengthen protections and oversight for vulnerable children and their families. In 2025 he proposed the Break the Silence Act, a bipartisan effort to strengthen Ohio’s health-care response to domestic violence. The bill would require hospitals and urgent care facilities to establish protocols for when health care professionals believe a patient is a victim of domestic violence, and would require health care professionals to document injuries in medical files and take photographs when possible. Representative Jarrells continues to push for the bill’s passage this session and has committed to reintroducing it next session if needed. In any event, ODVN looks forward to helping him get the bill across the finish line.

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In 2013, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network established the Croucher Family Award given each year to a person(s) who have shown outstanding advocacy and leadership.

ODVN created the award to honor Jim and Elsa Croucher of Monroe, Ohio who were pioneers in domestic violence education. The Crouchers were plunged into the world of domestic violence four days before Christmas in 1992 when their youngest child, 18-year-old Tina, was murdered by an abusive ex-boyfriend. Determined to help save others from Tina’s fate, the Crouchers founded Citizens Against Domestic Violence in 1996 and created a Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program, “Dating Violence: 101”. The presentation was given to over 100,000 students. Nationally recognized speakers, the Crouchers furthered their efforts to educate the public about domestic violence with their efforts in the passage of the “Tina Croucher Act,” in 2009.  Named in memory of their daughter, the law requires Ohio students in grades 7 -12 to be provided education on dating violence, warning signs, and characteristics of healthy relationships.