For more information, call the Pee Dee Coalition at 843-669-4694 or contact your local satellite center.

Dear Editor:
Published: July 26, 2009

We said goodbye to a dear friend (recently) — a man whose quiet voice but determined spirit and generous gifts made an impact on countless numbers of young people and those in need.
From the many women and children who sought and received refuge in a safe, clean and comfortable home over the past 20 years to the individuals who learned alternative behaviors to the violent and abusive ones that they had previously only known, David Shaw made a difference. He was willing to put his energy, resources, and time into a cause that was often seen as less than popular, and at times, controversial. He committed to learning the impact of interpersonal violence on victims and their families and took the opportunity to enlighten and teach others wherever he could.
On behalf of the Pee Dee Coalition, its volunteers, boards and staff as well as all who have benefited from this man’s gifts we say to David’s family thank you for sharing him in his efforts to make the Pee Dee a safer, more compassionate place to live.

Ellen C. Hamilton
Pee Dee Coalition

See the letter to the Editor as published here.

Officials with the Durant Children’s Center and the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault hope the presence of a satellite facility for the center in Hartsville “Plants A Seed Of Hope” and results in greater access to services offered for victims of child abuse and neglect in Darlington, Chesterfield and Marlboro counties.

Representatives of the Durant Center and the Pee Dee Coalition hosted a mid-project open house for the new Hartsville satellite facility Thursday to show the public the progress made toward renovating and opening the facility. The event coincided with the observance of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Click here to read the full story.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

Great article and great job, Concetta!

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and one local group is spreading the word about the face of child abuse.

Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee program director Shirley March said people often think of abused children as being only poor or with visible injuries.

“It depends on the kind of abuse,” she said. “We talk about the behavioral issues and the physical signs of abuse.

“There are four kinds of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional and verbal. Sometimes kids are withdrawn, they may know a lot more about sexual things than what they should know. They can be withdrawn or depressed.”

When those signs are combined with other issues, it can indicate the child is in an abusive relationship, March said.

Click here to read the full story.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

Thirty-six rapes were reported to law enforcement authorities in Darlington County in 2007, with seven arrests for rape in the county for that year. Another 23 arrests were made for other sex offenses.

Those are the most recent figures available from the State Law Enforcement Division.

These violent crimes — and sexual assault is a violent crime — occurred in our county, in our communities.

Click here to read the full story.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

Every two minutes someone in the US is raped, according to the Pee Dee Coalition.   Seven years ago, it happened to a Darlington County woman.

Click here to read the full story.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

The latest numbers on child abuse in our area point to an alarming trend in Darlington County and the Pee Dee region.

From July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, there were a total of 1,544 child victims reported in the Pee Dee region, according to figures from the S.C.

Department of Social Services. That’s up sharply from the 1,283 child victims reported in the year before, a 20.3 percent increase.

And in Darlington County, the number went up from 264 to 290 during the same one-year period. That’s a 9.85 percent increase.

Click here to read the full story.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

I was a 22-year-old senior in college. I excelled academically and enjoyed having a good time with my life of independence. Life was great.

On September 1, 2004, I was unaware of the event that would take place — an event that would change my life forever. I decided to join my roommates in having a party at our apartment. We invited several students from campus and the party lasted into the early hours of the morning.

That was not where the action ended. This would be the night I would learn that I was the only one who would stand up and fight for what is right and for what I truly believed in.

Read the full article here.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.

Executive Director Ellen Hamilton of the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse, along with two other Coalition Board members, Sammy Quick and Marcia Butler, were present to honor Hunter and the Town of Cheraw with a plaque and two ribbons. “We just want to thank council and the Town of Cheraw for all of your support over the years and the help we have received from the Cheraw Police Dept. and the Town,” said Hamilton.

She proceeded to present Town Administrator Bill Taylor with a royal blue ribbon and a teal ribbon, both representing child abuse and sexual assault prevention.

~ The Coalition honors the Town of Cheraw, from an article written by Charlotte K. Berger at the Cheraw Chronicle.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated
to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.