In July, our council had the pleasure of welcoming four visitors from South Africa. This distinguished group, which included one member of the South African Parliament, came to northwest Florida to focus on the topic of gender violence.
The program in Pensacola began with a visit to the First Judicial Circuit Court where the group monitored the setup and security process for opening the domestic violence court. The group then observed the court proceedings to examine the role of the legal system in gender violence cases.
Following this appointment, City Councilman Ronald Townsend met the visitors, answered their questions about the area, and presented them with honorary citizenship certificates from the City of Pensacola.
The first day of meetings in Pensacola concluded with a visit to Families Count, a non-profit organization designed to support families in preventing child abuse and neglect. The group met with Cate Jordan, the executive director, to learn Families Count works to protect the welfare of children and families.
The next day, the group began their day by returning to the First Judicial Circuit Court for a meet and greet and a round table discussion. Some of the individuals that attended the meeting included: local court judges, a victims’ advocate, representatives from the Office of the State Attorney, a representative from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, a representative from the Office of the Public Defender, and a representative from the City Police department. This discussion enabled the visitors to further explore the role of the law enforcement, courts, and victims’ advocates in cases of gender violence, and our council extends a special thank you to Sheila Sims for coordinating all of group’s time at the courthouse.
Next, the group traveled to First United Methodist Church of Pensacola and participated in the Feeding the Hungry Plus program. Program Coordinators Barbara Vititow and Gerry Mitrovich explained the program and discussed the kitchen operations. Afterward, the visitors joined area volunteers in the soup kitchen operation.
After their own lunch, the group proceeded to the Gulf Coast Kids House to meet with Executive Director Stacey Kostevicki. The Gulf Coast Kid's House aims to facilitate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect and promote child abuse prevention awareness through community education. By meeting with Director Kostevicki and touring the Gulf Coast Kids House facility, the group was able to examine fully a program that seeks to help children who have been the victims of violence.
The final day of programming in Pensacola began with a visit to the FAVOR House of Northwest Florida. FAVOR House is an organization that assists women and children who have been victims of domestic violence. It operates two shelters and two outreach centers which provide counseling services, supplies, and a place to stay for those in need. Sue Hand, the executive director, met with the group and explained the efforts of FAVOR House in Northwest Florida. In addition to hearing about the organization and its work, the delegates toured one of the nearby shelters.
The program in Pensacola concluded with a meeting with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. At the Pensacola Regional Operations Center, the group met with Pensacola Chief of Forensic Services Beth Greene. Here, the group saw how evidence is managed and processed and had the opportunity to learn more about crime scenes, evidence collection kits, and stages of processing for crimes involving sexual assault.
Of course, this program could not have been successful without the assistance of community members and volunteers. We extend special thanks to Dr. Richard Hough who met with the group one afternoon for lunch and to volunteer Terry Epps who assisted in driving the group after hours.
