ABOUT
PEE DEE COALITION

In the winter and spring of 1986, a series of rapes and random attacks shook the Lake City area of Florence County, shattering its small-town sense of safety. Immediately, neighbors were cautious of visiting one another, chatting over fences, or walking in the evenings. Fear filled the community, and many lost their sense of security in their homes.

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In response to this crisis, Pee Dee Coalition was founded in the donated office space of Florence’s Trinity Baptist Church. It began humbly, with a phone, a phonebook, and a mission to create a safer, more compassionate Pee Dee region. That July, a meeting was held at Florence’s First Presbyterian Church, where the Coalition’s first board organized and elected a president. Members determined that Pee Dee Coalition will address family violence, child abuse, and sexual assault, initially serving Florence, Darlington, and Marion counties.

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Since these early days, Pee Dee Coalition has become a leader in crime victim services in South Carolina. Our services now include a multidisciplinary child advocacy center and a comprehensive child abuse prevention program. Our family violence program offers an offender-intervention initiative, Alternatives to Violence, and Caring Dads™ for prevention efforts.

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Today, the Coalition serves eight counties: Florence, Darlington, Marion, Dillon, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Williamsburg, and, most recently, Sumter. For 38 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing services for thousands of victims and survivors across the Pee Dee region