First Bank Vice President, Andrew Lyons, local attorney and dinner speaker, Frank Thigpen and the chairperson of the Moore County Community Foundation, Russell Suggs join forces to discuss the upcoming dinner to be held at the Pinehurst Member’s Club on Oct. 24th as well as share their stories about this years recipients, Hugh Bingham of First Bank and Friend to Friend Executive Director, Anne Friesen.
The Moore County Community Foundation is a growing family of philanthropic funds, source of grants for local causes and partner for donors. MCCF was founded in 1991 and is led by a local volunteer advisory board that helps build community assets through the creation of permanent endowments, makes grants and leverages leadership – all for the benefit of Moore County.
The MCCF, through the NC Community Foundation, makes it easy to become a philanthropist, whatever your means or charitable goals. You can open an endowment for your favorite cause at any time – or contribute to an existing fund in any amount.
The MCCF board advises the Moore County Community Fund, the unrestricted community grantmaking fund, to support local needs. This competitive grants program is held annually. Because advisory board members live and work in Moore County, they can leverage resources to help meet local needs and access opportunities.
-Nationally, every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted and every 8 minutes that victim is a child. And 1 in 5 women will be raped in their lifetime.
-In Moore County, Friend to Friend is the only agency that provides trained advocates 24/7 to accompany adult victims of sexual assault to the hospital.
-Friend to Friend also participates in the Moore County Sexual Assault Task Force.
Friend to Friend’s Mission Statement: Our mission is to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking rebuild their lives.
Dr. Anne Friesen, Executive Director of Friend to Friend, Karmen Harris, RN, SANE-A, Sexual Assault & Outreach Coordinator, and Casey Halferty, Outreach & Prevention Program Coordinator get together to discuss the important work of Friend to Friend as well as highlighting the upcoming April 26th fundraiser & awareness raising 5K race.
THE SANDHILLS RACE SERIES PRESENTS THE FRIEND TO FRIEND ROCK N RUN 5 K! Friday, APRIL 26TH, 6PM TO 8 PM AT THE SOUTHERN PINES BREWING COMPANY. FEATURING A PROFESSIONALLY TIMED 5-k FUN RUN AND A FREE CONCERT BY WHISKEY PINES! THE RACE BEGINS AT 6:30, AND WILL BENEFIT FRIEND TO FRIEND IN SUPPORT OF THEIR MISSION TO HELP VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING. TO REGISTER FOR THE 5K RUN, VISIT FRIEND TO FRIEND or CALL 910.947.1703. https://www.friendtofriend.me/mission-2
Owner Rebekah Sykes King joins us to share the history of the Pinehurst Gazette which was established in 1973. Since her purchase of the Gazette in 2011 from Reid Page, the Gazette remains a fixture all over Moore County, celebrating its past and the changing demographic landscape of today. As a family run business, the Gazette is a quarterly publication that can be seen in over 70 drop off locations throughout Moore County.
Guests: Executive Director, Anne Friesen, Human Trafficking Community Educator – Jan Mullis
Human trafficking is a world-wide, organized crime that hides in communities and instills fear. It is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. and it is known to be in our area. It is a hidden crime in that traffickers systematically lure their targets with counterfeit love, pretending to be a boy or girl friend, or by offering them jobs that are fraudulent. They use force, fear and fraud to manipulate them into a life of drugs, prostitution, violence and abuse. Traffickers target youth between the ages of 11-25 years old, the most common age of entering into “the life” being 14. “Thousand Eyes Wide Open” combats this hidden crime by educating the citizens of Moore County to recognize and report the signs and symptoms of human trafficking.
“Thousand Eyes Wide Open” is a community watch campaign and includes training opportunities for the community at large; for adults who have direct contact with the targeted age group; for the targeted age group to learn how to protect themselves; and for parents of tots and young children. Each person who participates in one of these training opportunities receives a certification sticker to prominently display that warns traffickers that they are being watched.
Friend to Friend 2018 Statistics & Mission
To help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault & human trafficking rebuild their lives.
All Friend to Friend’s services and programs are provided free-of-charge.
Friend to Friend is a non-profit 501c (3) organization, started in 1988, to serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault I and human trafficking in Moore County, regardless of socioeconomic, religious, or immigration status. We serve all persons, primarily women and children. Friend to Friend is the only domestic violence ,sexual assault & human trafficking agency in Moore County. To achieve our mission, we offer, free of charge, a crisis line that operates 24/7, emergency housing at our undisclosed shelter, a court advocacy program, a sexual assault advocacy program, court accompaniment, community education, counseling services, hospital accompaniment for sexual assault, legal aid, and referrals to other community resources.
In 2018, Friend to Friend’s crisis calls increased 65% in comparison to 2017. We received 457 more calls in 2018 than we received in 2017. Our calls include referrals from all across Moore County and surrounding counties. We also receive calls from victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking seeking emotional support, as well as actively fleeing victims seeking shelter. Friend to Friend also assisted with 7,028 days of care and shelter meals. We provided 3,301 counseling/guidance advocacy sessions, and 981 court advocacy services. Toward the end of 2018, 71% of our clients moved in to a safe and supportive housing.
