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Mobile teen to give District Attorney's victim comfort room a makeover

Mobile teen to give District Attorney's victim comfort room a makeover

Yahoo3 days ago
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A local teen is making a big impact on those who are about to testify in court.
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Caroline Giardina is in the process of transforming the Mobile District Attorney's Office's victim comfort room.
'My goal is to make it somewhere that's comfortable and feels safe and warm,' Giardina said.
Giardina said that right now, the dated room's furniture and activities do not represent the room's full potential.
'There are a lot of games and activities in here, but a lot of the games are either missing pieces or there are games that require a lot of people,' said Giardina.
Giardina plans to make the space suitable for all ages by including adult coloring books and building blocks.
'People of all ages use these rooms,' Giardina said.
The room will also get a fresh coat of paint and new furniture.
'My inspiration board has lots of warm colors. For the kids, building blocks to play with and coloring books,' Giardina said.
The transformation is for Caroline's Girl Scout Gold Award Project. The idea came to her as both her parents work at the Mobile District Attorney's office.
'I have to walk past this room a lot,' Giardina said. 'It never looked like somewhere that was very inviting or anything.'
Authorities in the DA's office say that the new transformation is much needed and will help ease the nerves of victims of all ages before they testify.
'When you think about walking into a courtroom; walking past full pews of people, looking up at a judge in a robe, sitting down in a witness stand with a microphone in your face, where your feet may not even touch the floor, 12 strangers staring at you while you share very incredibly private things about yourself, about your body, and maybe the person in the room who hurt you is staring at you– you can't begin to imagine the emotional and mental turmoil that these children face as they are asked and called upon to talk about the darkest moments of their lives,' Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Susman said.
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The room is set to be completed by Aug. 5. You can donate to Caroline's project by visiting this link.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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