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Florence, SC
Pee Dee Coalition is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the reduction of sexual assault, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims.
It is the belief of the Pee Dee Coalition that the reduction of family violence, sexual assault, and child abuse is a community issue and concerns the total community—not only women—not only service providers—but all who value the basic human desire to be free from physical threat and harm.
Through the efforts of Pee Dee Coalition in its entirety, the region will be a safer, more compassionate community
In the winter and spring of 1986, the Lake City area of Florence County encountered a series of rapes and random attacks on the community’s citizens. The image of a small and safe hometown was transformed; no longer did the residents feel safe. No longer were neighbors comfortable visiting one another, chatting over the fence, or walking around in the evenings. People were fearful, and many lost the ability to feel safe in their own homes.
It was out of this crisis that Pee Dee Coalition was born. In July of that year, a meeting was held at First Presbyterian Church in Florence where the first board was organized and elected a president. Members determined that the Coalition would address all three victim issues (family violence, child abuse and sexual assault) and would initially serve three counties – Florence, Darlington, and Marion.
From this humble beginning, the Pee Dee Coalition blossomed as a leader in the crime victim services arena in South Carolina. One of 16 rape crisis centers and 13 domestic violence organizations in the state, the Coalition is the only one that also operates a multidisciplinary child advocacy center and a comprehensive child abuse prevention program. It is also the only one that has expanded its prevention efforts by offering a batterer’s program, Alternatives to Violence.
The Coalition now operates in eight counties: Florence, Darlington, Marion, Dillon, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Williamsburg, and most recently, Sumter. For 35 years now, the Coalition has provided services for thousands of victims and survivors in the Pee Dee Region.
