Parents:

Joe and Carolyn Clayton

Brothers:

Brad

Rob

Grandmothers:

Mrs. Maggie Evans

Mrs. Dewdrop Clayton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amy Carol Clayton was a beautiful young woman; a Homecoming Queen and Cheerleader with high hopes and dreams. She had just graduated Saltillo High School and was on her way to fulfilling those dreams, on a cheerleading scholarship to Itawamba Community College in the fall of 1986.

Amy was a loving and caring person. She and her family were very close. On that Thursday, Amy spent that day at her Grandmother Evan's home caring for her while her broken leg mended. Amy left there and went home to help out at her own home; preparing dinner for her family while her own mom stayed with her grandmother for the night.

A little after 9:00 p.m., Amy left home to go jogging, which she did most nights. She was a dependable girl and never gave her parents any reason to worry. When she was not home by midnight, her father called her mom. Carolyn came home and together they searched for their precious child taking the route she normally jogged. They continued to search and worry throughout the night.

The next morning around 6:00 a.m., a jogger found Amy. She had been raped and stabbed to death. A beautiful young life was taking by something evil.

Her mom, Carolyn a strong woman found the law was there to make sure the accused had rights. She found out the victim or their family had very little.

Carolyn took action and wrote to the National Organization of Victim Advocates (NOVA) in Washington, D.C. in an effort to locate the nearest support service to her. Someone sent Carolyn the mailing address of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. There was not a single chapter in the state of Mississippi.

With encouragement from the Attorney General in Mississippi, Ed Pittman, and information shared by his office regarding proposed legislation to address the needs of victims in the state, Carolyn and other survivors across the state joined forces to initiate a grass roots organization to address the special needs of this population. This organization was known as: Mississippi Advocates for Crime Victims (MACV).

Empowered by their success in the legislature and the camaraderie that developed among the survivors as a result of their experience and united effort, the members found a way to continue their mission to provide support and encouragement to others who knew first hand the tragedy of violent crime.

In the summer of 1987, Survival became a reality and developed into its status as a not-for-profit, 501C-3, Mississippi Corporation. Governed by a board of directors, and led by Carolyn Clayton as Executive Director, Survival, Inc. is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals, loved ones, and families whose lives have been impacted by violent crime. Survival, Inc. is located in Tupelo, Mississippi.

If you know of a victim of violent crime living in the State of Mississippi, or the crime took place in Mississippi; please let them know they are not alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~