TOWANDA, P.A. (WENY) -- Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Austin Davis, visited the Supporting Area Families Everyday facility in Towanda on Friday morning. SAFE was recently awarded a state grant to continue helping families with supervised visitation and parent education.

SAFE, founded by Heather McNett, is a non-profit survivor-led/based organization providing space in Towanda and New Milford for parents to exchange and visit their children in a supervised setting.

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Austin Davis, came to SAFE's Towanda location to address the public about the importance of supporting organizations that reduce domestic and intimate partner violence.

Davis was joined by other speakers at SAFE such as McNett, PA State Representative Tina Pickett, Bradford County Commissioner Zachary Gates, the executive director of the Abuse and Rape Crisis Center of Bradford County, Jared Davis, and the president of the SAFE Board, Mercedes Meuse.

To help SAFE continue its mission, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) awarded the non-profit a $125,243 Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grant to expand its Supervised Visitation and Parent Education Program.

"The great thing about the VIP program is that it supports a wide range of models and relies on local groups like SAFE that are in tune with what their communities need to prevent violence," said Lieutenant Governor Davis.

Davis leads the PCCD and says one of the Shapiro-Davis administration's top priorities is making Pennsylvania communities safer.

In doing so, Davis shares that the PCCD has also recently approved $45 million in VIP grant funding, to 66 other organizations across the state. There were nearly 190 applicants for the latest round of grants. The proposed 2025-26 budget includes a $10 million increase for the VIP program and that will be discussed in June.

Over the next two years, SAFE's VIP grant will increase service capacity by 25%.

SAFE says protecting and watching out for children is one of their top priorities. Around the facility, a game room, a sensory room, trained staff, and more are available to help facilitate peaceful custody exchanges and visitations. SAFE offers parenting classes in-house to help adults out as well.

"The efforts of SAFE break the links of chains," said Bradford County Commissioner Zachary Gates. "Chains of abuse, neglect, indifference, anger, fear, pain that research has shown, stifles creativity, productivity and wellness in children and adults alike. A parent who is equipped with coping and teaching skills can bring out the best in their children."

As a survivor-led/based organization, some of the SAFE employees share that the services offered by the organization are reliable to both parents and children in a time of need.

"Once my son's father was released, we agreed to have supervised visits at SAFE," said Mercedes Meuse, the President of the SAFE Board. "This allowed my son to not only reconnect with his father in a safe place, but also have a secure environment. My son's father was able to also help regain being a parent and learn from parenting classes that SAFE does provide as well. I now serve as the president on SAFE's board and will continue to advocate for individuals struggling with co-parenting situations. I encourage anyone in the type of these services to reach out, as we are here to provide any type of support."

For anyone that would like to support SAFE, McNett shared that a Candy Land Mini Golf fundraising event will be held on July 12 from 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. at the Mad Bakers in Wysox. Tickets cost $10 and all proceeds will benefit SAFE's programming.

Tickets can be purchased online or over the phone by calling SAFE at 570-250-7401.

If you or a loved one would like to learn more about SAFE's programming and utilize their spaces in Bradford or Susquehanna Counties, you can check out the organization's website linked here.