Leath Correctional Inmates make donation to agency July 2016

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Leath Correctional warden assistant, Lisa O’Dell, make a $900 donation on behalf of the inmates to the agency on July 28, 2016. The inmates raise money through various projects and then donate the funds to different charities in the community. A big heartfelt thank you to all of those involved at Leath for making this happen. Beyond Abuse currently provides group counseling and educational classes in conflict resolution to the inmates. Leath is a women’s correctional facility located in Greenwood, SC

pictured below: Cathy Miller and Lisa O’Dell
Leath July 2016 Lisa Odell.jpg

Greenwood County makes donation

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Beyond Abuse was recently awarded a $114,000 grant from the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. The funds were made available by the Victims Fines, fees, and Assessments fund which is managed by the State office of Victims Assistance (SOVA). These funds can only be used for Direct Victim Services. These funds will allow the agency to continue to offer timely services such as forensic interviews, advocacy, counseling, and crisis response to victims of child abuse and sexual assault in Greenwood County. “This is a testament to the strong and supportive working relationship that exists between the agency and law enforcement” stated Cathy Miller, Executive Director of Beyond Abuse.

pictured below presenting the check is John Long,Officer in charge of Professional standards with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s office and Cathy Miller.

GWD sheriffs office july 6 2016

Agency officially launches new AAT program

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Representatives from the community joined in the celebration of the official kickoff of Beyond Abuse’s new Animal Assisted Therapy program on July 12, 2016. After comments from SPF CEO Dave berry, who funded the project, the audience was given an overview of the year long process by Sexual Assault Program Director Jessica Bell. She then introduced the therapists and Handler/Animal teams who will be participating in the program.

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SYSG expands outreach efforts to Next Level Fitness

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Show Your Strength Greenwood, a campaign to engage men in prevention of violence against women and children, recently expanded its outreach efforts and presented a four part series of programs that included The Man Box, Sexual Assault, Healthy Relationships, and Bystander Intervention to 58 young men in the community that participate in the Next Level Fitness(NLF) program. NLF was created and is supervised by Jamar Crawford as a way to encourage young athletes in the community to not only to excel in athletic competition, but to become good men in the community through various discussions and character building activities. After observing the groups activities for several months at the Greenwood YMCA, Executive Director, Cathy Miller approached Coach Crawford about the partnership. Many of the young men voluntarily signed the “Real Men” pledge at the end of the multi-session series that was presented by Brandon Platt, Outreach coordinator for Beyond Abuse. For more information on this program, please contact Brandon at 864 227 1623. SYSG is being co-funded by the Greenwood County Community Foundation and The Self Family Foundation.
Pictured below are some of the participants:
ELite fitness July 2016 - Brandon Platt

Lander Psychology Club donates to agency May 2016

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The Lander University Psychology Club recently made a donation to Beyond Abuse to assist with non grant funded expenses. Lander Psychology students frequently satisfy internship requirements by working at the agency and by volunteering as victim advocates.

Pictured below are Ari West, VP of the Lander Psychology Club and Cathy Miller, Ex. Director of Beyond Abuse.

Lander Psych Club May 2016 - Ari West VP of club

Agency announces new Animal Assisted Therapy Program

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We are excited to announce that we have completed all training for our handler/animal teams and therapists and have now officially implemented our new AAT program. AAT will be used in conjunction with current evidenced based therapy curriculum. This 6 month effort, funded by our friends at SPF, was led by our Sexual Assault Program Director, Jessica Bell. Many thanks to Jessica and her team! For questions, please call Jessica at 864 227 1623.

Meet the handler/animal teams below:
Beth with Brenda, Patsy with Brook and Tess, Carol with Chase

Handler animal teams March 2016

Beyond Abuse presents on new AAT at Kiwanis

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Jessica Bell and Patsy Sirman, along with Brook, presented on our new Animal Assisted Therapy program at a recent meeting of Kiwanis.

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Laurens GAL hosts Child Abuse Awareness event 4 30 16

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Guardian ad Litem of Laurens hosted a child abuse awareness event on Saturday April 30 at Little River park. Beyond Abuse’s Education Specialist, Jennifer Azzarano, participated in the activities which included a balloon launch pictured below.

balloon release Laurens GAL April 30 2016

ROTC donates to Agency April 2016

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Lander ROTC Cadets donated the proceeds from their 2nd annual HAVOC Endurance Run held earlier this month to Beyond Abuse.

ROTC donation april 21 2016

Pictured above: Cadet Davenport, Dir Finance Laura Kazee, and Cadet Whitmire.

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held April 16, 2016

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Volunteers were recognized for their service to Beyond Abuse at an appreciation luncheon held April 16th. Lainey Fenn was recognized as Volunteer of the Year.

Vol Appr Lunch April 2016 group

Vol Appr Lunch April 2016 vol of the year

Victim Services Manager, Elizabeth Wise presents plaque to Lainey Fenn as Volunteer of the Year.