MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Serenity House celebrated its 20th anniversary with an honor to one its founders, Dr. D.W. Adcock, and stories from abuse survivors. 

The recognition took place Thursday evening and featured current board president Russ Joiner, Adcock himself and Brandy and Lauren, two abuse survivors who agreed to share their stories and speak on the help Serenity House offered them. 

Adcock was awarded a special recognition for his 20 years of service to the Serenity House by board member Sheriff Rod Howell. 

“(Adcock) has dedicated his life to serving others. His selflessness, kindness and character is the foundation of this organization… On behalf of all the current and past board members, the community as a whole and all those individuals he has helped in his career, we would like to award him with a special recognition for his 20 years of service,” Howell said during his recognition speech. 

After accepting the recognition, Adcock spoke of his time as a young orthopedic surgeon in Louisville, Ky., where he came across his first instance of domestic violence. 

“A woman came in with both her legs broken. I immediately knew what had happened. I thought, ‘Well something hit this girl,’” Adock expressed during his speech. “She told me she had been hit with a baseball bat… She knew who hit her, it was her boyfriend. I tried to speak with some local law enforcement to get him arrested but she wouldn’t swear out a warrant. She said she couldn’t swear out a warrant because she told me, ‘If I swear out a warrant, he will kill me.’”

He further explained that once he moved to Moultrie, he doubted he’d ever see anything like that again. 

“That stuff just happens in the big city. It doesn’t happen in a nice small place like Moultrie. Well it does,” he said. 

In another article published in The Observer, Adcock explained that the murder of domestic violence victim Kim Nunez by her husband at a stoplight in downtown Moultrie was the tipping point to get an organization together to help victims of domestic violence. 

“Back then there was nowhere to take these women,” Adcock explained during his speech. “Once they came to get patched up, where were we supposed to send them? Right back to their abuser. People were tired of letting that happen. Something had to be done to help these women.”

Speaking before Adcock’s presentation, Brandy and Lauren spoke of their past abusive relationships and the aid Serenity House provided.

Both speakers consented to have their stories printed and while both did provide last names with permission to publish, to protect their identities The Observer will not disclose their personal information other than their first names. 

Brandy spoke of her time meeting her husband, a worship leader at the church she attended regularly. 

“He bought me flowers and chocolates. He was so sweet to me… I thought I had found the one. I was at school at the time and he knew my schedule by heart. He’d wait for me to get out after classes. He wanted to spend every moment he could with me,” she said. 

Her experience started with insults.

“It was just little things at first. He’d insult me and just wave it off saying things, ‘It’s just a joke. Don’t be so sensitive,” she said. 

They had been together a couple years before the first instance of physical abuse. On Thanksgiving night she and her then-boyfriend were downtown when he grabbed her hair and demanded to know where she had been when she wasn’t responding to texts or calls, she said. 

She first attempted to get out of the relationship, which had grown nastier, when her abuser gave her a black eye while she was four months pregnant. 

“I had gotten away but we had a baby together. He reached out. He said he wanted to meet his daughter. I went back… I lived in constant fear,” she said. 

The emotional, physical and sometimes sexual abuse continued on and off until she got in touch with representatives from the Serenity House who were able to secure a restraining order against her husband.  

“With the help of Serenity House I was able to break free. For the first time in my life I’m free, finally free,” she concluded. 

Lauren had similar experiences. 

“My story, much like Brandy’s, started off the same. We both thought we had found our Prince Charmings,” Lauren began during her speech. 

She was an honor student in high school and quickly graduated college, she said. 

“I wasn’t dumb but a lot of it began with him stealing my identity. He took away my basic rights.”

Her abuse included many aspects similar to Brandy’s.

“I knew I had to get away. The pain, the deflation and the disgust I had with myself. I knew it wasn’t what God wanted for me,” she said. 

She explained that her relationship came to an end right before the COVID-19 pandemic with help from a stranger, a preacher and the Serenity House. 

“I was in the parking lot of Walmart when I just got out of the car and I ran. Luckily this random woman let me in her car and we began to search for an open church. I knew I needed to speak with somebody. I knew God needed me to get away. We drove around all over trying to find a church that was open when everything was shut down. We finally found one. The preacher opened the door and listened to me. He didn’t judge me or push me away. He simply asked if I had ever heard of something called the Serenity House,” she said. 

The Serenity House was able to secure her a temporary stay and helped her get on her feet. They helped her get her identity back, she said. 

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if they hadn’t answered my call. I wouldn’t be myself. I wouldn’t be me,” she concluded. 

In 2021, the Serenity House has served 339 women and children, provided 2,939 nights in beds, 8,379 meals and aided in procuring 18 temporary protective orders, according to statistics provided by Director Haley Clark. 

All were made possible through grants and donations, Clark said.

If you would like to donate to the Serenity House you can visit their website. If you or somebody you know might need help you can reach the organization’s 24-hour crisis line at 229-890-2733 or their outreach program at 229-782-5394.