“I Believe You”: Victoria Cuore’s 20-Year Commitment to Making Sure No One Faces Their Hardest Days Alone

Through A Contagious Smile, the survivor and advocate connects survivors of all forms of abuse, their loved ones, and individuals with special needs and their families with understanding, education, and peer support.

Being hurt by someone you trusted can change how you see everyone who comes afterward. Asking for help may feel risky. Believing someone will listen without judging, dismissing, or taking control can feel even harder. For a family supporting a loved one with special needs, isolation can look different: another appointment, another explanation, another night spent wondering who will understand the responsibilities and fears they carry.

For 20 years, Victoria Cuore has worked to be someone people can turn to in those moments. As the founder of A Contagious Smile, Cuore brings both lived experience and a longstanding commitment to advocacy. She survived domestic violence while pregnant and has endured more than 120 surgeries. She lost her left arm, lives with permanent hearing loss, and has navigated the demands of raising a daughter with complex medical needs. Her experience gives her an understanding of how much a person can carry while appearing to everyone else to be managing.

It also shapes how she approaches trust. Someone seeking support deserves to be listened to without being pressured to disclose more than they are ready to share. They deserve respect for their decisions, their boundaries, and the time it takes to feel comfortable with another person. Cuore’s two decades of service, her work as a certified domestic violence counselor, and her recognition as a 14-time award-winning advocate provide a foundation for that trust. Her commitment is expressed in the way A Contagious Smile welcomes people: with compassion, room to choose, and the belief that their experiences matter.

“I believe you” is central to that mission.

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, Cuore is drawing attention to support that extends to survivors of all forms of abuse. Physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse can leave lasting effects. A person does not need visible injuries to deserve understanding. Family members and loved ones of survivors are welcome, too. They may need help understanding what abuse does to someone’s confidence, why recovery takes time, or how to offer support while respecting the survivor’s choices.

A Contagious Smile also serves individuals with special needs and their families, recognizing that both the individual and the people who love and support them deserve to be heard. Its broader community includes caregivers, veterans and military families, and people navigating disability, chronic illness, grief, or mental health challenges. Through its peer support network, visitors can explore providers’ lived experience, choose someone they feel comfortable approaching, and begin a conversation at their own pace. They do not need to know exactly what to say.

“I don’t know where to start” is enough to begin.

A Contagious Smile Academy, launched in June 2025, adds online education and practical resources to the organization’s longstanding work. Courses help people explore topics such as boundaries, self-trust, emotional wellness, caregiving, and rebuilding after abuse.

Access matters deeply to Cuore. She does not believe a person’s bank account should decide whether they receive the support they deserve.

The Academy has already provided more than 900 scholarships. Behind that number are people who needed an opportunity to learn, reconnect with themselves, or take a next step without cost becoming another obstacle. The Academy offers free and paid learning opportunities, with scholarships available. Individual offerings list their prices, and peer support session fees vary by provider and service.

Courses, resources, and peer support connections are available now at acontagioussmile.com. Visitors can explore the Academy or peer support directory and follow the enrollment or contact link that fits their needs. People interested in joining the provider network can find membership details and apply at acontagioussmile.com/apply-provider-page.

October brings greater attention to domestic violence. Cuore’s commitment continues throughout the year, as it has for two decades.

For the survivor wondering whether anyone will believe them, the family member trying to understand, or the individual with special needs who wants their own voice heard, A Contagious Smile offers a place to begin.

They deserve support before they have the perfect words to ask for it.