Morgan County Sheriff Tyler Hooks, Greene County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, Greene County Elections Director Rebecca Anglin, and Chief Garret Smith of Morgan County Fire and Rescue all participated in the Anchor Point SANE, Inc. “What They Were Wearing Fashion Show,” held March 26 at South Main Brewery in Watkinsville.
The show and fundraising effort were held to support Athens-Clarke County SANE, which stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, who provide treatment and support for victims of sexual assault. They also conduct forensic exams and collect the evidence needed to prosecute offenders.
ACC SANE, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization and has an office in Morgan County that serves victims from Morgan and surrounding counties.
According to Smith, the state provides some funding and the county provides a facility, but ACC SANE, Inc., largely raises funds themselves through events such as the “What They Were Wearing Fashion Show” and others. This year, the fashion show raised over $200,000.
“It was a great honor to be asked to serve as a model in this year’s ‘What They Were Wearing Fashion Show,’” Smith said. “Sheriff Hooks and I had a great time and got to work closely with and network with other community leaders over the fundraising period leading up to the show.”
Smith said he and the other models partnered with local clothing outlets and were required to present four different looks, with only five minutes between runway walks for outfit changes.
Other models featured in the show were Oconee County Sheriff James Hale, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, Walton County District Attorney Randy McKinley, and many other medical professionals from the private sector.
Anglin said she was grateful to be asked to play a part in the fundraiser.
“As a survivor of sexual assault, I deeply appreciate those who are willing to speak up and advocate for others who have been violated," she said. "This is no longer a taboo topic — consent is essential, always. I walk for those who have been asked, ‘What were you wearing?’ when the truth is, it never mattered what was on their body.”
“I would like to reiterate how important it is to law enforcement to have Sane/Anchor Point Inc. doing the forensic interviews and examinations to help us in our investigations and prosecute the offenders and provide comfort and assistance to victims of Sexual Assault,” Harrison said.
“The current Morgan County SANE office functions out of one of our former MCFR fire stations (Mission Road Station),” Smith said. “We currently need to reopen this station as well as make a new training facility at the location. To do that, we needed to find a new location for the Morgan County SANE office to move to. Over the last several months, we have been working with Morgan County Administration, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, and ACC SANE Executive Director Michelle Dickens to build out the new facility so that Morgan County Fire Rescue can move forward with reopening the fire station and building out a new training site.”
Funding for the rehabilitation and return to its former status as a full-time fire station, and for new construction at the Mission Road station, was approved on April 7 by the Morgan County Board of Commissioners. The effort is part of Morgan County’s ongoing efforts to establish a more favorable ISO rating.
Smith said the new station will include an engine company and a water tender. Construction of a new three-story live fire training structure will begin in the next three weeks.
Meanwhile, plans are underway to reestablish the SANE office in a building on Mary Magnan Boulevard off the Madison bypass.