INTRODUCTIONS: Meet Shannon Bates

Shannon Bates remembers the absence as much as the anger. 

The recently appointed executive director of Savannah’s SAFE Shelter was just 4-years-old when she realized her mother was being abused. In that moment and many ensuing ones, Bates felt powerless. 

“It’s the worst feeling to see your mom in distress and not be able to help, because you’re just a kid,” she said. 

Today, that feeling and those memories guide Bates’ work for the domestic violence services center, but for decades, they kept her away from it.

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