Betsy - St Johns County Victim's Advocate Program

Hello everyone. Thank you for visiting this page. This is a great opportunity to support a wonderful program, the St. John's County Victim's Advocate Program. If you donate here, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to this program. Also if you register for the Family Walk, 100% of these funds will go towards the program. I do want you to know that the 5K funds go towards paying for the event, and these funds do NOT go towards the victim's advocate program, however I'm sure will be a fun time.

I wanted to share a little background on WHY this program is so important to me personally, and why I believe in it with my WHOLE HEART. 

As many of you may know, my best friend from Flagler Jenny was killed by a drunk driver in May 1996, less than one month after our graduation. It was an awful and tragic time...and we (her friends and family) had to go to the trial for the woman that took Jenny's life. It was one of the hardest things I've ever been through. And I honestly don't think I could imagine having gone through that time without the support, kindness, and friendship of Donna (Miller) Leuders, our victim's advocate. She was with us every step of the way and became our savior.

Fast forward to November 2016, 20 years later. My neighbor and dear friend Becky lost her husband in a very tragic way. I was with her when she received the news and for most of that evening. She was lost and distraught and I couldn't figure out how to support her...answering her questions and guiding her to make decisions on how to tell her precious children that their dad was gone. All I could think was "WE NEED DONNA!" I found Donna, called her, and within an hour, we had the head of St. Johns County Victim's Advocate Program Jim Priester at Becky's door to help. Becky couldn't imagine having gone through that night and the following days without him, her "teddy bear" as she calls him. He was her savior that night.

Since last November, I have met with Jim Priester to learn more about how I can help this program. Among other ways, one is to fund raise! Please consider donating to this fund. 

This fund is used in a variety of ways. One example that Jim gave me that stood out was about a woman that lost her husband tragically a week before Valentine's Day. Jim was there for her in those moments, those days to support her in any way he could. A week later, he used this fund to purchase roses and hand deliver them to her on Valentine's Day. This fund was also recently used to buy clothing for children who were victims of a domestic violence incident. Yet another was a 12 year old boy that approached a SJC officer at a rest stop in the middle of the night and explained that he had been kinapped from Miami and needed help. They had to confiscate his clothing as evidence so they used the funds to get him clothing and a safe place to sleep that night. Many of these tragic events occur when no other resources are readily available and are in the middle of the night.

I will be at the Fearless Run at the St. Augustine Outlets participating in the Family Walk on October 21st. In addition to donating now, I would love for you to join us on this morning! If you would like to, register on this website for the FAMILY WALK.

THANK YOU ALL for your continued love and support...and for considering a donation to this amazing program. 

Betsy Wegeman

*This is a 501c-3 victim's rights fund and is tax deductible*

*This is a 501c-3 organization and is a tax-deductible donation.