Aftermath Presents Why We Serve Grant to Lt. Wilburn & Help Save the Next Girl

In August, Aftermath CEO Doug Berto made a trip to Virginia to meet up with Radford Police Department’s Lieutenant Wilburn. Most importantly, he brought along a check for $5000, made out to the Help Save the Next Girl Foundation.

The organization’s Founder, Gil Harrington, and Vice President Jane Lillian Vance, were also present at the awards ceremony. During the event, Gil and Jane gifted the Aftermath team several copies of their book, Morgan Harrington: Murdered Dead and for Good.

What is Help Save the Next Girl

Help Save the Next Girl is a national non-profit organization formed in honor of Gil’s daughter, Morgan. The 20-year-old Virginia Tech student was abducted and murdered following a concert in 2009. Help Save the Next Girl encourages young women to be aware of predatory dangers and instills a sense of community by fostering mutual respect and camaraderie amongst young people of all genders. They are also focused on finding ways to quickly disseminate urgent information on missing and endangered persons and providing outreach support to the victims’ families when needed.

Lt. Wilburn, a 20 year veteran offier of Radford PD, was the winner of Aftermath’s 2017 Why We Serve Service Grant Competiton. His four minute video described the difficulties faced by the small town of Radford.  He advocates for being proactive and teaching younger adults how to avoid violent situations by encouraging safety education, awareness, and accountability. He hopes that the grant from Aftermath will aid Help Save the Next Girl by further promoting the charity’s message through community events, and in printed and social media campaigns.

A Lasting ImPression

Following the presentation, Aftermath’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Tina Bao, said: “Morgan’s story and the charity’s important mission have made a sincere impact on myself, Doug and other Aftemath employees, many of which have daughters and sons in junior high, high school, and college. We hope to find ways we can be more involved in the future.”

To read our interview with Lt. Wilburn and learn more about the Help Save the Next Girl Foundation, check out our blog.

To read the official press release on the Why We Serve service grant, visit our News page.