Our Team.

Melanie Sachs

Melanie Sachs was raised in Salem, New Hampshire, as an only child but a social butterfly. Melanie is a Daughter of the King, A Fiancee, A Faithful Friend, A Kitten Mom to Gunner, A lover of Coffee, Sunshine, Dance, Spontaneous Adventures, Travel and a Survivor SO MUCH MORE, than her story. Melanie is a survivor of child sexual abuse at ages 9-11 by her babysitters’ sons and sexual assault at 12 years old by a distant relative of her best friend at the time. At 23, she was sexually harassed/assaulted through physical touch and comments about her body by a mechanic known to her family for many years. 

Melanie’s connection to West Virginia and SHIELD stems back to 2019. Melanie served as an active member of the Board of Directors for SHIELD from August 2019 until November 2021. Melanie’s heart has grown large for the Team in WV, and she accepted a Position as Program Development Consultant starting November 8th, 2021 under the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation Grant SHIELD received. Melanie will be working to administer training and event coordination, database management, and to facilitate content development with the Speaker’s Bureau and Board of Directors. Melanie will manage outreach and logistics for SHIELD training requests along with a system to log, track and archive outreach provided. Melanie will be working to develop a process for recruiting high school ambassadors for SHIELD and empowering youth under SHIELD’s Youth Mobilization Initiative. Melanie will also be managing SHIELD’s social media and the SHIELD Website for updates. Melanie is passionate about the work being done in WV and is honored to be a part.

Melanie obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Keene State College in 2013. Post-graduation, Melanie accepted a position under the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. She served in the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program from 2013-2015 as a crisis center advocate at A Safe Place (now known as HAVEN). During that time, Melanie was also hired as a per-diem shelter advocate for HAVEN on the night/overnight shift in the imminent danger shelter.

Melanie relocated to the Ocean on Every Corner Island of Cape Cod, MA in 2015 and worked at the local Child Advocacy Center for 6 years in two roles (Family Advocate and Forensic Interviewer) helping families navigate all systems and providing support in many capacities for Families who walk through the doors of as the result of child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, witness to domestic violence or CSEC (Trafficking) along with conducting Forensic Interviews of Children for Law Enforcement and DCF (MDT Partners). Melanie has participated in many conferences and trainings to enhance her ability to serve victims of crime in her community and beyond. 

Melanie is an active member in her Faith community at Harbor Church in Hyannis, MA, and has a drive for sharing her testimony of how her faith healed her on a deeper level since it was defined for her in 2014. Melanie aspires to inspire people from all walks of life every single day.

Melanie has been sought as a dynamic speaker across the Country at Child Advocacy Center events, and Local/National Conferences (See Speakers Bureau for more information).

Melanie has presented to many schools and local organizations in Massachusetts in her 5 year Role as CAC Family Advocate. She has spoken in-depth about the importance of the child advocacy center model, the multi-disciplinary team process, personal body safety, and support for non-offending caregivers to various audiences of advocates, clinicians, law enforcement, school personnel, summer camp staff, and local agency partnerships of individuals who work with kids and families. Melanie also presented 2018 and 2019 at the THRIVE Conference at Cape Cod Church about the CAC Role and participated in a panel on human trafficking/child sexual exploitation.

Melanie has shared her survivor story at various events and fundraisers for New Hampshire Child Advocacy Centers, The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance Annual Conference in 2020, and The Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance Annual Victims Rights Conference in 2021. Melanie has also made herself available to present to multi-disciplinary teams, which include law enforcement and DCF personnel, and has been a Stakeholder in New Hampshire Child Advocacy Centers, with input given for their Runway to 2026 Strategic Planning. Melanie’s story is featured in New Hampshire’s Know and Tell e-course under the “PROTECT” module. Melanie has been featured in the SHINE Campaign for the National Children’s Alliance since it’s inception in 201. Melanie presented at the National Children’s Alliance Leadership Conference in June 2018, and was the Keynote Speaker at the West Virginia Child Advocacy Center (WVCAN) Annual Conference in 2019. Melanie was the Featured Speaker for the 2021 “Rise and SHINE” event for the Child Advocacy Centers of the Bluegrass in Lexington, Kentucky in August 2021 and that same week Presented her workshop titled “When Darkness Meets the Shining Light of Hope: An MDT Investigation from A Survivors Perspective” at the Child Advocacy Centers of Michigan Annual Conference. Melanie is a Presenter at the 2021 Child Advocacy Centers of Tennessee Conference, Held Virtually from Nashville, TN. 2022 Looks Bright as Melanie will be the Keynote Speaker on April 26th, 2022 sharing her “Speak the Voice in Me: Finding Light and Life-Giving Breath After Sexual Trauma” for the 5th Annual Taking Child Abuse Interventions to ‘New Heights’ Symposium in Kitty Hawk, NC. Melanie has multiple other proposals lined up, and she says “As a woman with strong faith and a compassionate voice, it is an honor to share her journey with all of you”.

Melanie has participated in many conferences and trainings over the past 9 years of her career to enhance her ability to serve victims of crime in her community/beyond.

Melanie is a dedicated volunteer at Camp Sunshine in Maine, which serves kids who have faced life-threatening illnesses. She volunteers multiple times a year and attends events to fund research and to help families financially. She is also on the Board of Directors for Sophia’s Fund, assisting with social media and events. She is a Volunteer for Written on Your Heart, which seeks to engage communities and support survivors of human trafficking through encouraging cards and awareness events. She assists with mailing out cards directly to survivors. She is also a volunteer for Bags of Hope Ministries and is on the Survivor Support Committee for PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment), helping with their social media projects/national campaigns and running their Survivor Support page. 

Melanie is on a mission to become the woman she was always destined to be — a survivor who is more than her story and desires to help others do the same. Melanie is an avid softball player and spends her free time reading and writing while enjoying spontaneous travels and life. She takes many walks on the beach searching for sea glass and enjoys the ocean waves in any season.