Nationally, one in three women and one in six men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. One in four women will experience sexual abuse. The problem is so pervasive it seems everyone knows somebody who has been there.
Once, survivors in St. Johns County had nowhere to go to escape the abuse. The nearest shelter was in Gainesville. But in 1990, change arrived. An organization now known as The Betty Griffin Center was founded and has been a lifeline to survivors of domestic and sexual violence for these past 35 years.
Today, the nonprofit operates a 54-bed emergency shelter and offers six transitional apartments, outreach services, training and education.
But funding is critical and events like the Betty Griffin Center Breakfast, held Monday, March 3, at The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach, help the organization continue its mission. The theme was “Home.”
Keynote speaker Amanda Price, CEO of the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence, thanked those who support the center’s mission. But she also made a heartfelt plea.
“Please don’t stop supporting it,” she said. “Please support it more. Please volunteer more. Because it’s really critical, and the problem is immense — and it’s not going away. You are a huge component of the solution. You are, in fact, the solution. Nothing will be solved without you.”
Betty Griffin Center CEO Kelly Franklin described how the organization has helped people of every age, newborns to senior citizens. She also spoke of efforts made to help survivors in the center’s residential program to find their own homes.
“I’m proud to share that since July of 2024 we’ve assisted 189 times in helping families work towards permanent housing or assisting them to maintain their own housing if it was a safe choice for them.”
Toward that end, Keith Campbell of Campbell Plumbing and Mechanics, pledged $50,000 annually to help survivors get the housing they need.
Following Campbell’s announcement, Horschel Family Foundation CEO Brad Nelson announced that the foundation was pledging $100,000 over four years in unrestricted funds.
“We are so honored to be a part of the Betty Griffin Center and have this partnership that we know is going to go on for years to come,” he said.
The funding is critical to the center’s mission. About 30% of its budget comes from the federal government, and it’s a source that cannot always be guaranteed. For that reason, Franklin said the center is looking for new ways to fund its needs and mission.
Price said her organization advocates for the domestic violence shelters in Florida and mentioned the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, which has recently been reintroduced in Congress and enjoys bipartisan support. The bill would fund services for survivors.
Two survivors also spoke at the breakfast.
One guest read three of her poems in which she offered hope, shared her prayers and reminded others that they were not alone.
Following her, another survivor described how a victim advocate with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office introduced her family to the center, which allowed them to rebuild their lives.
She said the Betty Griffin Center provides a pathway “from isolation to empowerment, turning trauma into hope.”
To learn more about the Betty Griffin Center, to volunteer or to donate, go to bettygriffincenter.org.
