Sabrina’s Place

It’s the charity of choice for Storm Team 10’s June three degree guarantee.  But, many don’t know a lot about the TAP Program known as Sabrina’s Place.  It’s a positive that grew from a negative.  The father of Sabrina Reed, killed in a domestic dispute talks to WSLS about heartbreak that now offers hope for others.

The sign on the window reads “Sabrina’s Place, Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program”

A newspaper article about Sabrina Reed hangs on the wall just inside the front door.  There are make-shift living rooms for children to have supervised visits with an abusive parent.  Program Coordinator, Sammi Rader explains why those visits are important.

She says, “They still love that parent and want to see them and often times they are fearful but they still love them and want that relationship with them. We try to facilitate that in a healthy way.“

Sabrina had just gotten her masters degree and was a nurse at the Salem VA, a but lived in fear that her estranged husband would kill her.

Her father John Lynch says, “I would always tell her don’t worry about that nothing like that is going to happen.  She would tell me, Daddy you just don’t know… she said I know him… and it happened.“

In 2005, she brought her daughter to her mother’s home to meet the girl’s father.

Lynch says,“The exchange was to be made at her mother’s house and he came over got their daughter, went back to his car, got his gun and came back.“

In that instant, Sabrina was gone.

“Their daughter has no father now… she has no mother… the Reeds’ have no son now… we have no daughter so everybody is touched.“

Sabrina’s Place was started to provide victims, their children and the abuser a safe place for visits.

Each person is wanded before they come in for the visitation to make sure they don’t have any weapons and there is always a Roanoke City police officer to monitor those visits through a two way mirror.

Lynch says, “They were already engaged in putting something together facility like that…they both came together at the same time her death was at the same time they said let’s just name it Sabrina’s place.“

It will soon have a new home that is a real home with even more safety features to try to prevent a tragedy like Sabrina’s from happening to any other families.

The goal is to get Sabrina’s Place moved to its new home by October 1st.  If you or someone you know would like to find out more about Sabrina’s Place the phone number is (540) 777-3799. 

Link to more information about Sabrina’s Place