The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and the Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation announced this week that the two are joining forces to combat domestic violence and offer prevention training for members of the community as well as for law enforcement officers.

The Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation was created in Greensboro in 2008 in the wake of the strangulation death of Jackson, an honor student, cheerleader and homecoming queen who moved to Greensboro to attend college at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) before going to work as a health care coordinator.

Portia Shipman, a former co-worker of Jackson, was a founder of the organization that now helps victims of domestic abuse take back control of their lives and free themselves from that abuse.  Over the last 11 years, the organization has reached out to victims and conducted public awareness campaigns on the problem.

To mark the new cooperative effort, on Wednesday night, June 26, a special event was held to remember Jackson on the 11th anniversary of the discovery of her buried body, which was found on June 26, 2008.

At the event, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department Executive Administrative Director and Assistant Catherine Netter spoke on the importance of domestic violence awareness, the impact it has on children and families and the ripple effect that this type of violence sends through a community when the problem isn’t properly addressed.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department said this new partnership is an example of Sheriff Danny Rogers’ “commitment to our community and dedication to collaborate with local organizations to bring positive transformations to the lives of women, men and children, one life at a time.”

A Thursday, June 27 press release from the department on the partnership states, “We fully support any efforts to keep our communities safe and enhance the lives of families.  We understand that domestic violence not only affects the victims, but the community as a whole.”