Speaker to share personal connection to Sandy Hook tragedy

The Huntington University social work department is hosting an educational seminar titled "Finding and Feeling God's Light in the Darkness."

The event will take place Sept. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at HU's Merillat Centre for the Arts.

The opening keynote speaker will be Ann Sandercox, Master of Social Work degree candidate. Sandercox will speak on the title of the seminar, "Finding and Feeling God's Light in the Darkness." With a personal connection to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, she will share openly and honestly about her response to the tragedy. Sandercox will identify how grief, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder affects individuals following a community trauma. In addition, she will share how faith plays a role in not only trauma but also in the recovery process.

After Sandercox, attendees will participate in breakout sessions hosted by HU faculty, community mental health members and students. Topics will include how to identify the needs of people facing trauma and victims of oppression while learning how to respond in a faith-based practice.

The lunch-time speaker will be Tena Dellaca-Hedrick, the social justice program coordinator for Victory Noll Center in Huntington. She will share her personal account of years of victimization and sex trafficking. Her lecture will help attendees understand how culture plays a role in contributing to vulnerability and victimization of human trafficking victims, both global and domestic. She also will speak on the importance of faith when working with victims of human trafficking.

The Soul Children of Chicago, a world-class performance group, will host the final session. The group has a single-minded purpose: to utilize music as the motivator and catalyst to inspire young people throughout the world to have faith in themselves, each other and God. The purpose of this session is to teach attendees how to educate the minds, elevate the spirits and illuminate the souls of the youth.

For advanced registration, the cost of the seminar is $65. Registration at the door is $75, and the cost for full-time students is $15. Fees include continental lunch and 3.75 continuing education units. The advanced registration deadline is Sept. 19.

For more information, visit www.huntington.edu/social-work or email Carla MacDonald at cmacdonald@huntington.edu.