She's seen almost every state in the U.S. while driving her tractor trailer across the country. Now, Wynona Ward, of Vershire, VT, has been named the first CNN Hero of 2010 for helping victim's of domestic violence.
Wynona Ward dedicates her life to helping victims of abuse, but in 1976 she was out of money and in need of a job. She turned to trucking, taking turns at the wheel with her husband, Harold. Twelve years and 48 states later, Wynona got a call that would motivate her to begin a new journey. She says, "What I heard was that a child that was 6-years old in my family had been abused by my brother. I said this can't be happening again. We can't let this happen again. We must do something about it."
Wynona was devastated and says the call was a turning point after carrying a horrific memory of her own father for 37 years. She tells Fox 44 Local News, "The first time my father abused me was when I was almost 3-years old and he actually undressed me and raped me."
After the shocking call, Wynona became a victim advocate for her family searching for laws to protect the child abused by her brother. It was then she decided to go back to school and, eventually, on to law school.
After graduating from Vermont Law School at 48, Wynona founded have justice will travel. Trading her 18-wheeler for an SUV she now travels to the homes of victims of domestic violence offering free legal advice. Wynona and her team have already helped nearly 10,000 victims.
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