Up & Coming Weekly

NOVEMBER 18-24, 2009 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM SHANNEN DILL, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com Rober ta Humphries Tackles Abuse at Child Advocacy Center by SHANNEN DILL It is brave for a brand-new employee to take on an interview on her fi rst day on the job. But, bravery is nothing new for Roberta Humphries, the new executive direc- tor of the Child Advocacy Center (CAC). Humphries founded a 5K run to benefi t non-profi t organiza- tions after watching her son, Ryan, battle with cancer. Proceeds from Ryan's Reindeer 5K Run, an annual event in Fayetteville, benefi t several non-profi t organizations. Prior to her position with the CAC, Humphries was the direc- tor of Resource Development at the United Way of Cumberland County. Since she learned of the CAC, she has been interested in being a part of it. "From being in the non-profi t community, I have been aware of it and I am defi nitely interested in applying my experience from the other non-profi ts to this one and in reducing child abuse overall," Humphries said. "When the opportunity arose, it fi t well to move here." For those not familiar with the CAC, its motto is, "Protect Children. Stop Abuse." Founded in 1993, the center is dedicated to providing a "safe and child-friendly environment where profes- sionals from 19 community agencies come together to interview, investigate, and provide support for abused children and their families." The mission of CAC is especially personal to Humphries, who experienced abuse as a child. Humphries spoke of the difference in the way child abuse is handled in society today. "When I was young, it wasn't something that people spoke about, it was hid- den," said Humphries. Thankfully, there are now places like the CAC, said Humphries, who added, "It provides a safe haven for children to express what has happened to them." With three children of her own and two step-children, she knows the instinctual feeling that motherhood brings with it. It is important to her to support children and their families in the community who are dealing with the tragedy of child abuse. Statistically, Cumberland County is high on the list of child abuse cases in the state of North Carolina. It ranks No. 1 in the number of child deaths due to abuse and No. 2 in the number of child abuse cases substantiated. Humphries noted, "With the state of the economy, you see more abuse cases. As economic conditions falter, there are more stresses on the family and when there are more stresses, there are more abuse cases — especially if families don't have the adequate tools to deal with stress. Children end up receiving the brunt of the stress." In regards to the the challenges of her new position, Humphries said, "Always the challenge in the non-profi t realm is getting funding and maintaining it." She hopes to be able to fi nd ways to increase funding for the CAC during her time as the executive director and to raise community awareness of child abuse. Besides her new job, Humphries is also a realtor affi liated with Coldwell Banker Huff & Pennink Advantage. She is on the advisory board for the CARE Clinic, and is involved with The Cape Fear Kiwanis Club and Networth. She is the race director for Ryan's Reindeer Run, founded the Ryan P. Kishbaugh Memorial Foundation, and co-authored a book with her late son Ryan entitled, Run Because You Can: My Personal Race with Cancer. She received a BS in Medical Technology from Moravian College and an MA in Health Services Management from Webster University. She enjoys reading, running, traveling and hiking. A resident of Fayetteville since 1993, Humphries said she never expected to stay in Fayetteville more than a few years. "Fayetteville just grew on me. It's a friendly, open community," said Humprhies. For more information on the Child Advocacy Center visit www.childadvoca- cycenter.com, and for more information on Ryan's Reindeer Run, visit www.runbecauseyoucan.com. The holiday season this year brings not only the jingle of bells, but also the mystical ring of the Middle Eastern zils or fi nger cymbals when Sharifa Asmar and Qarisma Dance present Sa'hra Sa'eeda, an evening of Middle Eastern dancing and happiness with family and friends, on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge of Fayetteville, 2860 Village Dr. "It is a perfect start for your holiday season," Sharifa said during a recent phone interview. "The hafl a or dance party will feature classic Middle Eastern dance entertainment with Qarisma Dance students, instructors and guests artists, such as Oriental Expressions from the Triangle area and Ra'eesah Ra'naa from Greenville, S.C. The decorations will present a feeling of a Middle Eastern nightclub." Asmar, who has danced for more than 25 years, is known for her authentic, classic Oriental style. She has studied with many well-known dance masters and internationally known dancers, from New York to California, as well as Europe and North Africa. Her dance repertoire includes Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish styles and regional North African and Arab- Asian dances. Though many describe Oriental dance as "bellydancing," Asmar explained why she prefers the terms Oriental or Middle Eastern dance. "The term bellydance is culturally loaded, on a negative side," Asmar said. "It's Oriental dance or Middle Eastern dance, which encompasses the Oriental and the folkloric dance. It's shrouded in the ancients, right up there with the pyramids, 5,000 years and counting. It's the oldest continuously performed folk dance that we know of," said Asmar, "and Oriental dance at its modern source today is a communal dance. It's a party dance. It's social. When they turn on that music, it's what everybody does." While Asmar has primarily performed as a solo act, in 2006 she brought her dance company, Qarisma Dance Arts, to the Charlotte Dance Festival –– the fi rst and only Oriental dance company to perform there. That same year, she received a Regional Artist's Grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County. A recognized resource for quality Middle Eastern Oriental dance education, Asmar offers workshops and currently teaches beginning, intermediate, advanced and performance Middle Eastern dance through Parks and Recreation at E. E. Miller Recreation Center in Fayetteville. Many of the dancers who will perform at the Sa'hra Sa'eeda include some of Asmar's intermediate and advanced students. "I started in a parks and recreation program in Las Cruces, N.M," said Asmar, who also holds degrees in history, political science and foreign languages. "I'm one of two in that fi rst class who are still dancing!" In addition to having a good time, doing a little dancing, and being treated to solo and group performances, guests of the hafl a will enjoy light refreshments and may peruse the vendors' tables. "It's a family-friendly event," Asmar said. Tickets are $7.00 per person or $15 for a family, to include two adults and two children aged 10-18. Children under 10 are free with a paid supervising adult. For more information on Sa'hra Sa'eeda or Qarisma at the upcoming World Holiday Festival on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Crown Arena in Fayetteville, visit www. sharifaasmar.com. KAREN POPPELE, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or Editor@upandcomingweekly.com The Zing of the Zils: Middle Eastern Belly Dancing by KAREN POPPELE

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