When Ted Less heard the testimony of a 17-year-old girl who was attacked, raped and left for dead, he was there for her, supporting her in court.

Less, a volunteer legal advocate with Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, has followed court cases on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse for the past 12 years as part of his volunteer work with the center.

The Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center in Gurnee has been working for more than 28 years as a nonprofit agency to promote sexual abuse education as well as to provide counseling, medical and legal advocacy and other services at no cost.