Chatham County District Attorney (DA) presented the first annual Spencer Lawton Jr. Victim Services Awards and announced a $10,000 contribution from the DA’s office to Tharrows Place, a local residential program for trafficking survivors.

The DA told commissioners the office designated April as National Crime Survivors Awareness Month and created the awards to honor Spencer Lawton Jr., who established a victim-witness advocate program during his 17-year tenure. The first award will be delivered posthumously to Lawton’s family.

The DA's office presented the second award to Tharrows Place Inc.; Julie (Julie Wade) accepted the award and described the program. "We currently have 8 residents at Tharrows Place. They're all young girls, aged 12 to 17," Wade said, describing therapeutic services and recent successes including a resident preparing to take GED coursework and discharge plans. The DA's office then announced a $10,000 contribution from its victim service funds to Tharrows Place "for the exemplary work that you've done," the DA said.

Wade described Tharrows Place's operations: 24/7 residential care for young survivors, therapeutic programming, education efforts and community fundraising since the nonprofit’s 2022 inception. The DA and commissioners also thanked the county for previously supporting victim-services agencies through county funding programs.

The awards were presented at the meeting; the DA’s gift was described as coming from the district attorney’s victim service funds. The transcript does not show a separate board vote authorizing the DA's contribution; the announcement was made by the DA’s office at the meeting.