CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 5 EDITOR'S CORNER A love that blossomed at Friendship House BY KIM HAST Y Contact Kim Hasty at khasty@cityviewnc.com or at 910-423-6500, ext. 317. I t was love, but not the romantic kind, that motivated Chasity Sullivan and Victor Long to become the first student residents at Friendship House Fayetteville in 2019. e two had never met, though both were students in the health care field at the time, and both have a so spot in their hearts for people with disabilities. Chasity, a graduate of Methodist University's physician assistant program, works for Cape Fear Family Medical Care. Victor, a graduate of Campbell University's School of Osteopathic Medicine, is a resident in internal medicine at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Romantic love? at would come later. "ey are the sweetest people ever," Avery Cameron said. "ey are the kind of people who make you want to be better people." Many would say that Cameron's husband Scott, a neonatal intensive care doctor and ordained minister, is that kind of person as well. He was the one who brought the idea of Friendship House to Fayetteville aer living in a similar program while enrolled in Duke University Divinity School. e program pairs health care students with roommates, known as friends, who are intellectually or developmentally disabled young adults. e idea is that the students learn greater understanding and the friends learn greater independence. It was important to have just the right people in place to help the fledgling program take flight, and it turned out that Chasity and Victor were perfect candidates. Chasity had worked in a program for people with disabilities while in college at Appalachian State University. Victor, too, was kind and caring. "Victor has an amazing compassion," said Tara Hinton, Director of Regional Philanthropy for ServiceSource, which manages Friendship House. "He's very gentle and very passionate. I could feel the passion in both of them." It was serendipitous, then, but perhaps not surprising, that a friendship blossomed between Chasity and Victor and helped inspire Friendship House to grow into a sweet and flourishing community. Located in three houses on the corner of Arsenal Avenue in Haymount, the program now is at nearly 100 percent capacity. e Camerons, who live next door, are frequent attendees at Sunday evening group suppers and holiday activities, as are Tara Hinton and her family. As for Chasity and Victor, their relationship became something much more. "What first struck me was his wit, quirky personality and adventurous spirit," Chasity said of Victor. "What won me over was watching the way he loved and accepted other people. He's by nature encouraging and upliing, and he really goes out of his way to make everybody feel like a somebody." Never has Friendship House been more abuzz with excitement than in the months since last May when Victor, ring in hand, got down on one knee near the Cape Fear River Trail. Chasity said yes with a big group from the Friendship House looking on and then cheering, including her roommate of two years, Victoria Hall, and Victor's roommate, Michael Brown. e gang will all be there too when Chasity and Victor are married in May at Catlett Farm on the Cape Fear River. at will include the Rev. Dr. Scott Cameron, who will perform the ceremony. "ey tell us all of the time about how they are excited to be 'honorary aunts and uncles' to our future children," Chasity said. "Sometimes I think they're more excited than we are. We love it and love them so much." It was serendipitous, but perhaps not surprising, that a friendship blossomed between Chasity and Victor and helped inspire Friendship House to grow into a sweet and flourishing community.

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