John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
At just 14 years old, Elizabeth Smart experienced what every mother or father fears – abduction. And after being held captive and subjected to abuse for nine months and returning to her family in 2003, Smart is doing well. Smart is set to bring gleaming hope to the area when she arrives in Valdosta, Ga. for the Anchored in Hope benefit dinner, hosted by the Children's Advocacy Center of Lowndes County, Inc., scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, beginning at 6 p.m.
Smart, the keynote speaker for the event, is the founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, bringing hope, action, education, safety and prevention for children and their families worldwide. She has also helped promote the National AMBER Alert, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and other safety legislation geared towards preventing abductions.
Through her experience of abuse, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and National legislation. Additionally, she was instrumental in the conviction of her abductors by providing testimonies before her captor and the world about the nightmare she was forced to live in.
Smart's recovery and stories about the abduction continue to motivate not only parents but law enforcement and leaders worldwide in focus on child safety. Smart is now married, with two children, and has released two books and material encouraging the "don't give up" mentality for survivors, including her New York Times best-selling book, "My Story."
For more information about Smart and her story, log onto elizabethsmart.com. You may also visit elizabethsmartfoudnation.org to learn more about her mission of focusing on child safety.
This special fundraising event will take place at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center, located at 1 Meeting Place, in Valdosta, Ga. Attire for the event is business formal and Andrew Agatston, Chief Executive Officer of Children's Advocacy Center of Georgia, will serve as the master of ceremonies.
General admission tickets are on sale now for $125. Sponsor tables are $2,000 and the deadline to purchase either ticket package is Tuesday, March 12. All proceeds will go directly to supporting the Children's Advocacy Center of Lowndes County's mission of minimizing trauma to children who have been victims of sexual and physical abuse. If you would like to purchase tickets, log onto eventbrite.com. If you're interested in sponsoring, call (229) 245-5362.