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Welcome Rhonda Wagner

March 19, 2023 by Connie Lawson

Rhonda has joined HPCAV as our first Assistant Executive Director. She is responsible for helping us build capacity around employment. Rhonda has years of experience as a Work First Employment and Community Engagement Specialist in Davidson County. In that role, she also coordinated Davidson County’s Business Advisory Council. She volunteered with Project Safe Neighborhood and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program so she is well acquainted with the mission of HPCAV.

Rhonda will also be heavily involved in our work with other youth service providers as we move our focus into prevention and intervention in violence by youth ages 24 and under. The hope is to improve High Point’s capacity to engage and encourage all of our young people toward a life of purpose and non-violence.

Rhonda is married to Byron and they have an adult daughter, Kayla. They live in Lexington.

We’re excited to take another step forward in making High Point a safer place for everyone.

Filed Under: High Point, News, Uncategorized, Updates Tagged With: Community Against Violence, High Point, HP CAV, HPCAV, HPCAV success, safecommunities

Welcome Robert Martin

January 10, 2023 by Connie Lawson

We’re excited about the new year and our new Executive Director: Robert Martin. Robert is probably best known to his friends as a rabid Appalachian State fan (he’s a graduate). To HPCAV, he’s known as one of our founding members.

Robert was employed as a Community Corrections Officer (adult probation and parole) with the NC Department of Public Safety from 1989 to 2017. He began working in Guilford County. When High Point Regional Hospital (now Atrium Health Wake Forest) completed a needs assessment in the mid-1990’s, Robert joined the task force looking at and working to address violence. Officially representing the county’s Community Corrections office, Robert was a part of the creation of High Point Community Against Violence, Inc. and an active part of the implementation of focused deterrence here.

Robert spent the last nine years of his career in Davidson County and retired from NCDPS in 2017. He was hired as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator for Davidson County, doing essentially the same work for our neighboring county as he had done as a volunteer with HPCAV. He remained a member of the HPCAV Executive Board and continued to work with us.

When Jim Summey submitted his resignation, Robert was the natural and best choice to be our next Executive Director. He resigned from our Board in November, 2022 and officially began his new position on January 1, 2023. Robert has already laid the groundwork to build on what has been a great partnership
with our police department and our community. He is looking forward to moving us towards
more work with youth, our new focus area. He is a supporter of EKG2, a promising educational program on guns and gang violence for seventh graders, and hopes to see it implemented here.

Robert is as dedicated to his high school, High Point Andrews, as he is to App State. He has been an active HPAHS volunteer and supporter. He is a long time Lions Club member and an active part of the local Fraternal Order of Police. He participates in the High Point Senior Games and you can see him at HPU basketball games. He is truly dedicated to High Point and making it safer for everyone.
Join us in welcoming Robert to his new role with HPCAV!

Filed Under: High Point, News, Uncategorized, Updates Tagged With: Community Against Violence, crime reduction strategy, High Point, HP CAV, HPCAV, HPCAV success, new executive director, robert martin, safecommunities

Jim Summey Retires

December 30, 2022 by Connie Lawson

Jim Summey retired on December 31, 2022 after 13 years as High Point Community Against Violence, Inc.’s Executive Director.

Since the early 2000’s, Jim worked tirelessly to reduce violence and improve life for the residents of High Point. He was a co-founder of West End Ministries, Inc. and Leslie’s House, both of which continue providing needed services to individuals and families. As a volunteer, he was willing to work side by side with the High Point Police Department and our very young organization to implement something new called focused deterrence. This strategy was used in the West End neighborhood to address the problem of open air drug sales. The effort was so successful it was repeated in other neighborhoods in town and then applied to other crime problems, such as robbery.

Jim was instrumental in that success and we hired him as our first Executive Director. In that role, Jim trained countless communities around our nation in what has been called the High Point Model of focused deterrence. He worked with federal, state and local law enforcement. He testified before Congress. He worked with researchers and reporters and students. Since 1998, the focused deterrence strategy has helped reduce High Point’s overall violent crime by 67%. Jim had a major role in the successful execution of this strategy in our city.

Locally, Jim led our organization through lots of new territory as we have grown in size and scope. Through stumbles and successes, the basis for all his work and ours has been the sign he kept on his desk that reads “Veritas“. He continues to pastor English Road Baptist Church, where you can hear him preach on any given Sunday morning.

In December, Jim was recognized with a Hometown Heroes Award from the NC Automobile Dealers Association, nominated by Tim Ilderton. It’s a fitting tribute for who he is and all that he has done.

While we’ll miss him at HPCAV, we’re excited about his plans to continue working for the good of all people in our city and county. He’s left HPCAV in good shape and in good hands. We’re grateful and look forward to building on that foundation of truth as we move into 2023.

Best wishes for many years of happiness and success in all you do, Jim!

Filed Under: High Point, News, Uncategorized Tagged With: Community Against Violence, crime reduction strategy, HP CAV, HPCAV, HPCAV success, safecommunities

Dedicated HPU Student Benefits HPCAV

April 20, 2022 by Connie Lawson

Meet Elise Coby, a junior at High Point University (HPU), pictured here with Gretta Bush, our Board President and Jim Summey, our Executive Director. Her Persuasive Speaking class required her to give a “Speech of Advocacy”. Realizing domestic/partner violence and violence in general were issues of concern to her, Elise researched local organizations and chose HPCAV as the subject for her speech project. She excelled in her presentation and was awarded first place. She took it a step further and created a crowd funding campaign, raising $765 for our organization.

Elise, we are very grateful for your support and your advocacy for HPCAV on campus and beyond!

Filed Under: Domestic Violence, High Point, News, Uncategorized, Updates Tagged With: Community Against Violence, domestic violence, High Point University, HPCAV, HPCAV success, HPU, safecommunities, violence

Hello world!

September 16, 2014 by krshoffner

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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Domestic Violence Initiative About to Begin

January 23, 2012 by Connie Lawson Leave a Comment

After several years of careful research and planning, the effort to reduce domestic violence by focusing on perpetrators is about to begin. Our first notification (also known as a call-in) will take place in February. We are excited about the possibilities!

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