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2A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, October 19,2022
Nonprofit ramps up domestic violence victim support
Death Notices
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
This past year, non
profit organization No
One Alone served 1,704
clients affected by
domestic violence or 40
percent more people
compared to 2020. Of
the 102 people that its
shelter housed, the aver
age guest stayed 30 days,
and 30 people were
housed in hotels due to
lack of space.
These statistics show
the need for organiza
tions like NOA, which
serves family violence
victims in Dawson and
Lumpkin counties.
NOA’s 24/7 crisis line
can be reached at 706-
864-1986.
October is Domestic
Violence Awareness
Month in the United
States.
Nonprofit services
The nonprofit’s crisis
line was started in 1986,
with its shelter opening
in 1992. Last year, NOA
advocates responded to
3,289 calls to its crisis
line.
The line is staffed 24/7
with trained advocates
that are ready to offer
support and services to
anybody that may need
them, said NOA victim’s
advocate Victoria
Dunston.
After initial contact, a
client is referred to the
advocate who can best
assist, and appointments
are made in Dawson or
Lumpkin County,
depending where is most
convenient for the client,
Dunston added.
“The shelter is located
in Dahlonega, but it does
serve our Dawson
County clients,” said
Dunston, “and because
of the McKinney-Vento
Act, they (children) can
still go to school in
Dawson County.”
NOA offers its services
to people staying at its
shelter and those who are
not. The latter group
comprises a majority of
the nonprofit’s clients,
Dunston said during an
Oct. 13 presentation in
Lumpkin County.
The nonprofit’s assis
tance options include
individual and group
counseling, case manage
ment, help filing protec
tive orders, children’s
programs and play thera
py, home visits, budget
ing assistance, life skills
and parenting classes.
During NOA’s presen
tation, Lumpkin County
Sheriff Stacy Jarrard
shared that the increase
in protection orders filed
has helped save lives.
Since he took office in
2009, Jarrard said there
have been four deaths
from domestic violence,
when previously, it
wasn’t unusual to see
three deaths on an annual
basis in his county.
Thanks to a new state
law passed in 2021, NOA
can now help victims of
dating violence obtain
temporary protective
orders (TPOs), Dunston
said.
Previously, only vic
tims of family violence,
those who were related
to and/or lived with their
abusers, could get TPOs.
With the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic,
NOA helped people out
financially by giving a
total of $194,919 in cli
ent aid, said NOA
Executive Director Cara
Ledford.
There is also a
Dahlonega-based bargain
shop run by the nonprofit
called Southern Finds. In
2021, Southern Finds
provided direct client
assistance of furniture,
clothing and household
items to 287 “at-risk”
families.
Student education
This past year,
Dunston has been part
nering with area schools
and the University of
North Georgia to educate
students about dating
violence.
Women aged 16-24 are
at the highest risk of
being abused by a part
ner, and one in three
high school students will
experience some form of
abuse in a relationship,
according to statistics
Dunston shared.
As of 2021, Georgia is
ranked third in the nation
for teen dating violence.
Dunston explained she
presents to students in
grades 2-12, with each
talk tailored to be age
appropriate.
For example, second
graders might learn
about when to say yes
and when to say no if
someone asks them to do
something that makes
them uncomfortable and
who could be safe adults
to talk to about those sit
uations.
Then, high schooler
talks may focus on dat
ing violence, red flags,
helping a friend and how
to have a healthy rela
tionship, Dunston said.
Prior to becoming third
nationally for teen dating
violence, Georgia was
ranked first in 2016.
Dunston in part credits
efforts talking to teenag
ers about healthy rela
tionships with helping
reduce intimate partner
violence.
“Our goal with talking
to the students in age-
appropriate ways will
help build the foundation
for them to have healthy
relationships as adults
and prevent them from
experiencing domestic
violence,” Dunston said.
“In 2021, I presented to
almost 2,000 students.”
Dawson resources
NOA is also in the pro
cess of rebuilding its
Dawson County
Domestic Violence Task
Force, whose meetings
were impacted by the
pandemic, Dunston said.
The group meets every
other month to discuss
what needs or concerns
are being seen in the
community and how
those can be best
addressed.
The nonprofit is also
working on engaging the
area faith-based commu
nity and helping people
there become trained how
to help undocumented
immigrants affected by
domestic violence.
“Our main goal in 2022
is to talk with survivors
about the barriers they
face and find ways to
remove those barriers as a
community,” Dunston
said.
Fedford added NOA is
also planning on hosting
a fashion show fundraiser
in Dawsonville, most
likely during spring 2023.
The nonprofit’s capital
campaign for a new shel
ter is still in its beginning
stages, Fedford said.
“NOA has been fortu
nate in that our current
shelter is graciously
donated by the Fumpkin
County Board of
Commissioners,” Fedford
wrote in an earlier open
letter to the board. “While
we are very thankful to
have had this facility to
call our shelter for over
20 years, we are bursting
at the seams, as this shel
ter is a very small house
with three bedrooms and
two bathrooms to share
between 12 women and
children.”
Fedford wrote then that
NOA envisions an “invit
ing shelter” with separate
rooms for single women
and women with children,
as well as dedicated spac
es for counseling and
children’s, life skills and
parenting programming.
Nonprofit officials will
soon meet with architects
before presenting shelter
ideas to the community
and longtime donors and
supporters. NOA intends
to raise $1 million for the
Criminal case advances for
Dawson teen in brother’s death
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
The criminal case for a
Dawson County teenager
accused of killing her
brother in late 2020 is now
active again, according to
an order recently filed in
Dawson County Superior
Court.
Defendant Hope
Findsey was found men
tally competent to stand
trial earlier this year fol
lowing two evaluations.
Findsey’s case was pre
viously transferred from
Northeastern Judicial
Circuit Judge Andrew
Fuller (who’s now retired)
to Chief Judge Kathlene
Gosselin to resolve ques
tions surrounding the
teen’s mental competency.
“The defendant, having
received the advice of
legal counsel, declined to
pursue a competency trial,
and consented to an order
finding her competent to
stand trial,” stated the
Sept. 28 order, which was
signed by Gosselin.
“Therefore, this court
deems that it is in the best
interest of the defendant
and judicial economy to
send this case back to the
active docket.”
In March 2021, Findsey
was indicted on the formal
charges of malice murder,
felony murder, aggravated
assault and aggravated bat
tery.
The teen has been
accused of fatally stabbing
her brother, 11-year-old
Payton Findsey, at a west
Dawson County residence
on Dec. 5, 2020. Payton
received multiple stab
wounds and was pro
nounced dead at the scene,
according to a statement
from Dawson County
Sheriff Jeff Johnson at the
time.
Hope Findsey, who was
14 years old at the time,
was charged as an adult
for the alleged crimes and
is being held in the region
al youth detention center
after being denied bond.
DCN will continue fol
lowing this case.
project, Fedford added.
People can visit www.
noonealone.org/shelter to
learn how they can help.
“We are not only look
ing for monetary dona
tions,” Fedford said, “but
also things like grading,
gravel, plumbing, etc. We
could [also] pay for mate
rials, and they could
donate their time.”
Dorothy Gayton
October 9, 2022
Funeral, Wednesday,
October 12, 2022, 1 p.m.,
Bearden Funeral Home
Chapel. Bearden Funeral
Home, Dawsonville, GA.
King Crossword
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^ Daws o n C o u nty N e ws
A Metro Market Media Publication
Established in 2015 by the merger of Dawson Community News and Dawson News and Advertiser
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