The Clark State College Sexual Violence Prevention Team will host speaker Christy Sims on Wednesday, October 12. Sims will deliver a message on “Empowering Yourself Beyond Intimate Partner Violence” beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Brinkman Education Center (room 403) in Springfield.
“Clark State's Sexual Violence Prevention Team is honored to bring Christy Sims to our campus and community,” said Melinda Van Noord, counseling coordinator at Clark State. “She has shared her powerful message of survival and hope with millions worldwide and her strong advocacy for victims of domestic violence has surely saved many lives.”
A native of Atlanta, Sims is a public speaker, author, a nationally-certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a survivor of and advocate against domestic violence. She is a devoted mother of two whose life was forever changed on April 28, 2013, when her ex-boyfriend severely disfigured her by dousing her with sulfuric acid. Sims sustained third and fourth degree burns to over 20 percent of her body, including her entire face, neck, chest and arms. Following the incident, she remained in an induced coma for two months and endured numerous lifesaving surgeries at the Grady Burn Unit in Atlanta. She emerged from the coma with a resolve to survive, to return to her children and to pursue the prosecution of her abuser. Due to her diligence, her abuser was finally brought to justice on July 17, 2015 after a two-year fight.
Sims is the first reported case of an acid attack in the state of Georgia. To date, she has undergone 13 surgeries to reconstruct her disfigured face and body, and her personal struggle has propelled her to advocate and support other survivors of domestic violence.
The event will take place at the Clark State Brinkman Education Center, Room 403, located at 100 South Limestone Street. An RSVP to the event is encouraged. For more information or to RSVP, contact Melinda VanNoord at vannoordm@clarkstate.edu or 937.328.7961. For disability accommodations for this event, contact accessiblity@clarkstate.edu.