HAVEN, CCCC student team up to raise awareness

Posted 04/27/2022

With the help of a student and an instructor in CCCC’s media technology program, HAVEN in Lee County has produced two 15-second public service announcements aimed at raising awareness of family violence. HAVEN (Helping Abuse and Violence End Now) Director Susan King said the spots were launched last week via the nonprofit’s Facebook page. Watch the two spots here and here. In one, a young child is seen drawing a picture that bears the title “Dad hitting Mom.” According to King, the drawing is a real one (drawn by another child) that HAVEN’s staff discovered in the organization’s shelter. The child in the video is the son of another staff member. In the second spot, another child is seen walking home from school. As she enters, she witnesses her father physically and verbally abusing her mother. Again, the “actors” in the video are HAVEN staff members or members of their families. “We had to keep it very simple,” King said. “But they ended up being so well-done.” King credits Alan Buck, a Central Carolina Community College media technologies instructor, and one of his students, Victor Duncker. “We drew from Alan’s expertise. I think this was a learning experience for everyone,” she said. King said she first thought of filming public service announcements at least a year ago, and had contacted CCCC to see if there was the possibility of teaming up with a student. A couple of months ago, Buck got in touch with her and said he had a student working on a project that would be a good fit for HAVEN. According to King, the public’s reaction to the spots has been positive, although she’s always looking for ways to have more people view them. She hopes to get the spots in rotation on local television stations and said the organization is looking at its budget to determine whether it’s feasible for the PSAs to run before movies at local theaters during October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Our aim is really to get people thinking about how domestic violence looks to children, and to let people know who we are and that we’re here,” she said.