CAPA and Exchange Club
GHOST TOURS
story by ROBIN TODD
If you happen to find yourself stumbling across a vision of the past while strolling through the point of Beaufort this Halloween season, it’s not your imagination. Its 27 years of volunteers showing up strong to support breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect for our children. Every October, Ghost Tours takes over downtown Beaufort to entertain, enchant and raise funds for CAPA through Halloween.
The Child Abuse Prevention Agency (CAPA), is a local Beaufort nonprofit agency, founded in1978. They stand upon the vision that all children deserve to be loved, nurtured and kept safe from intentional and unintentional harm. Since opening in 1985 they have, with the support of the community, helped more than 2,200 children. CAPA offers numerous education programs including school-based safety and character development, safe sleep education, parent education, and support programs. They also offer professional training for adults who are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect, offer recruit and support Resource Families, and operate a residential home for abused and neglected children. The Open Arms home can house up to fifteen children ages 12-21. They have an entire team including a therapist who works one on one with the children including equestrian therapy. The ultimate goal of CAPA and social services is always to put in place programs and measures for reunification with families. CAPA does not hold the power to make this decision rather works to support social services through the transitional period and has to ability to follow families with additional support following placement. All of this would not be possible without the immense outpouring of contribution from the community year after year.
One of CAPAs largest and longest-running events is their Ghost Tours, held in conjunction with the Exchange Club of Beaufort. It all started with a haunted house which morphed into storytelling and finally into the annual ghost tours. Each year storyteller divulges tales to patrons as they stroll along the streets or ride in a horse-drawn carriage operated by Southern Rose Buggy Tours. Whether it be bloody Mary or the VooDoo priestess you will not be let down by the characters who pour their heart and soul into making sure all are entertained and captivated with their tales. There are always twists and turns but the route is the same over the years, along with a troll jumping over a bridge. Walking tours all take place in old point and carriage tours extend across Carteret street.
Jessie Chapman of CAPA, is the Director of Development for the agency, shared her experience in working with the volunteers over the years. She pours her heart and soul as she attempted to articulate the amount of love for the children poured out by CAPA’s 150 volunteers who show up year after year, to support the Ghost Tours. The volunteer hours poured into making all this happen are usually equal to the number of tours they give. The amount of time and effort that go into this event is beyond anything she has seen before. Jessie shared how incredible it is to see the children of the volunteers grow up alongside their parents and then become volunteers themselves. “It’s a family affair. They show up year after year and ask nothing in return.” She stated, “They work so hard because it supports the children, that is why they keep showing up.” When it comes to fundraisers the question of where the proceeds are being allotted naturally comes up, one does not have to be concerned about the profits going anywhere else except right back into the direct mission and vision of CAPA. Every single dollar of the proceeds from Ghost tours gets poured directly back into CAPA, right to the children. This covers a multitude of their expenses including special occasions so the children can have experiences they may have missed out on otherwise. They have raised an average of $25,000 to $30,000 in the past. Jessie explains how the Bay Street restaurants all jump in to serve with the community, along with First Citizens Bank and Southern Rose Buggy Tours. Without the common bond of the love for these children, it would not be possible to pull off such a feat year after year.
You can hop online and reserve your ticket right now, they do sell out! Tours kick off October 11 and run on the weekends through the end of the month excluding Halloween night so volunteers can spend the evening with their families. Carriage tours leave every 15 minutes starting at 6:30 pm from the parking lot at 1006 Bay Street. Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes. ($22 adults/$12 children 3-11) Walking tours begin at 7:00 pm and leave every 20 minutes from Cannon Park (across the street from 611 Bay Street). Each tour lasts approximately one hour. ($12 all ages).
