The Trauma Intervention Program began providing service in 2023, working closely with people affected by traumatic events, whether it’s family, friends, co-workers or bystanders. Volunteers are available to respond to events in Lane County every second of the day, with emotional and practical aid.
Starting March 12, TIP will hold a training academy, open to people looking to become volunteers. The program was previously at capacity for volunteers, so this is the first training opportunity since May 2025.
“When you’re a TIP volunteer, you are a loving individual who just cares about the person you’re across from,” Bridget Byfield, the Lane County program director says. “I don’t care what your degrees are, I don’t care if you’ve got 10 of ‘em or none of ‘em.”
Byfield emphasizes that TIP volunteers are people who are not looking for recognition or even to be remembered at all. She says those who need TIP, “need to have the person that nobody sees but feels.”
Byfield helped bring the program to Lane County after years of working in child welfare and volunteering in crisis organizations. Now, as a retired woman, she invests her time in helping those around her.
“We’re memorable because we’re not memorable,” says Dan Isaacson, a longtime volunteer. The volunteers look like your neighbors, and they act like true friends in a time of need. Isaacson says people have responded to TIP’s service, saying, “I don’t know the name of the person who was there, I just know someone was there and that really helped.”
Following the traumatic passing of his close friend, Isaacson became heavily involved with volunteering and bringing TIP to Lane County. “There was no program for how to deal with any of that stuff. There was nobody helping guide me that day,” Isaacson says he was even left to clean the crime scene of his loved one. “It was very traumatic.”
The program has impacted people on what may be the worst day of their lives. TIP provides resources for next steps, as well as a shoulder to cry on. In less than three years of service, they have assisted more than 800 residents, responded to over 275 calls and upheld a 100 percent response reliability rate.
“The TIP volunteers, almost every single time, come back saying, ‘It was an honor to be there,”’ Byfield says.
“I can’t imagine not doing it. It’s easily the most rewarding work I’ve ever done, probably will ever do,” Isaacson says.
TIP volunteers in training will learn from emergency responders, survivors of traumatic events and other TIP affiliates. The training consists of 55 hours of work, ranging from classroom setting lectures, to role playing, and finally, ride-alongs with first responders and TIP volunteers.
TIP also accepts high school students, who Byfield calls “TIP Teens.” They go through the same training.
Once on the team, volunteers are on-call for three 12-hour shifts in a month. “Now, during those shifts you could be grocery shopping, you could be sleepy, I don’t care. You just gotta be ready to go when the call comes,” Byfield says. TIP volunteers work in pairs to help people on the scene.
The program also looks forward to its second annual event, “Heroes with Heart Awards Dinner and Auction,” on May 2. The night will be filled with recognition of community members who have put the community first. These are individuals whose everyday acts go unnoticed by the public, and often even by themselves. They may be police officers who went above and beyond, or even an employee who stepped up in a traumatic situation.
“Heroes for Heart is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Byfield says. People can buy a table for the event, and are given the option to designate it to the Eugene Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office or other agencies in the county. Workers from the departments are then chosen to attend, and are provided dinner and appetizers from Oakway Catering. “It’s going to be seriously good food,” Byfield says.
The event will be held at the Downtown Athletic Club. Byfield says everyone involved has been incredible to work with, and that DAC has even cut the price to rent the facility to as low as they could. “Again, that’s community,” she says.
In the future, Byfield hopes to see the program expand into other areas of Oregon, such as Linn Benton, Lincoln or Deschutes County. TIP Northwest has expanded from Portland to areas in Hood River, Multnomah and other counties. She says she also would like to see a higher call volume to ensure there are no survivors or traumatized people who are left behind.
To sign up for the training academy or donate to TIP, visit TIPLanecounty.org. Training will be held March 12 to15 and will be followed by more training the next week.