Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1458429
LOCAL BUZZ FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER TO BE NAMED ONE SAFE PLACE MACON M ore than 80 community members representing over 45 organizations and agencies in Macon came together Jan. 26-27 to set goals and a community vision for a Family Justice Center. In 2020, Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia was awarded a competitive four-year grant from the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to plan and implement a Family Justice Center in Macon-Bibb County. Since then, more than 15 community partners have worked together throughout the planning process. The Family Justice Center will help survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, human trafficking and elder abuse, and their families, get the resources and support they need at one location — bringing together police officers, prosecutors, advocates, therapists, civil attorneys, community volunteers and many others. During the event, Sarah Schanck of Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia announced that Macon-Bibb's Family Justice Center will officially be named One Safe Place Macon. Schanck, the site coordinator, said the name was chosen with input from community partners and local survivors, and represents the vision of the Center to be able to serve victims and their families under one roof with coordinated and streamlined services. "This really isn't about any one agency. It's about our community. This is Macon serving Macon. When you or your family are hurting, we want to you to know the community is on your side. The name One Safe Place Macon indicates our commitment to serve our community while centering the safety and voices of victims and their families," Schanck said. Casey Gwinn and Gael Strack from the Family Justice Center Alliance, a program of Alliance for HOPE International, attended the event. Gwinn is the president of Alliance for HOPE International and is one of the visionaries of the rapidly expanding Family Justice Center movement. Strack is the CEO of Alliance for HOPE International and ran the first Family Justice Center created in 2002 in San Diego, California. "Without a question, Macon-Bibb is uniquely positioned to move forward in the development of a Family Justice Center. The need is clear, the commitment of key partner agencies to participate in the model is strong, and key leaders support the emerging vision for a Family Justice Center," Gwinn said. One Safe Place Macon is on target to open in spring 2023. Community members or organizations interested in getting involved or learning more can contact Schanck at 478-733-0439 or sschanck@cl-sh. org. — SARAH SCHANCK boarding facility, helping nervous pets acclimate to the boarding environment without their parents. So, even though Sally and I both had a rough beginning, we were adopted by loving people, and then spent the rest of our lives helping other animals. Sally is such a lovely young lady filled with gratitude about how her life turned out. We have so much in common and I knew she was the one for me, so I popped the question. The rest is history. Now, Sally and I continue working to help animals of all kinds. Every time we help a homeless pet get adopted by a fabulous family, it's so clear how thankful the pet is for being saved. And the wonderful thing about adopting a rescue is you actually save two lives — the adopted rescue and the one who'll replace him in the shelter. You see, every pet adopted from a shelter makes space to bring in the next homeless pet, so that life is saved, too. Find love at your local rescue shelter. The precious life you save will spend the rest of his life telling you how grateful he is that you chose him. And in a way, he may save your life too as shared in one of my favorite quotes by writer Thom Jones, "Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn't even know we had." — PATTI JONES AC AND SALLY ON THEIR WEDDING DAY. PHOTO BY REGENIA BRABHAM. ELIZABETH SCHORR, OWNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF ES & CO, AND SARAH SCHANCK, SITE COORDINATOR OF MACON'S FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER, POSE WITH THE RECENTLY UNVEILED NAME AND LOGO OF ONE SAFE PLACE MACON. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022 | maconmagazine.com 23