Each year, Our Friends Place honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of girls and/or women in North Texas. The award is named for Ebby Halliday Acers, the original recipient, to honor her commitment and contributions to our community.

 

The 2012 recipients of the Ebby Award are Dr. Martha Felini and Sgt. Louis Felini, developers of The Dallas Police Department's Prostitute Diversion Initiative.

 

Is she a criminal or a victim? This simple question asked by 2012 Ebby Award Winners Sergeant Louis Felini and his wife, Dr. Martha Felini, resulted in a ground breaking program – The Dallas Police Department’s Prostitute Diversion Initiative (PDI) in 2007. PDI is the first law enforcement led program of its kind in the nation.

 

Changing how Dallas approaches street level prostitution requires collaboration of governmental, nonprofit, and faith-based agencies. Engaging Dallas Police Department, Dallas County District Attorney, Dallas County Courts, Dallas County Sheriff, Dallas County Health and Human Services, Parkland Hospital, and more than 45 nonprofit and faith-based agencies, the Felinis devised a way for individuals engaged in the sex trade industry to completely and safely exit from a life of prostitution.

 

Bringing resources, services, and the justice system to where the prostitutes work – truck stops along I-20 – PDI allows prostitutes the opportunity to enter into a comprehensive program that addresses the causes of continued participation in prostitution. Individuals can enter the program voluntarily, as many have, or through a court ordered diversion program. PDI has significantly reduced the recidivism rate of those who complete the program.

 

Dr. Martha Felini leads the evaluation analyses of the PDI and directs the development of its research arm. Dr. Felini is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on understanding cancer-related health disparities and exploring the influence of environmental and genetic risk factors on health outcomes. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s School of Public Health along with being a Graduate Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences and Senior Scholar with the Center for Community Health.

 

Sergeant Louis Felini has been with the Dallas Police Department for more than 24 years. He has received more than 100 commendations, including the State of Texas Achievement Awards for Valor in 1996 and Professional Achievement in 2010. In 2011, he was recognized for excellence and placed on the City of Dallas Wall of Honor. He was recently named to the National Advisory Board for the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program and appointed to the Board of Directors for the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.

 

For questions and additional information about the Ebby Award, please contact Kristianne Hinkamp or 214.520.6268.

Past Ebby Award Recipients:

Ebby Halliday Acers

Sister Margaret Ann Moser, President, Ursuline Academy

Elizabeth Solender, President, Solender/Hall and Past President, CREW

Sarah Losinger, Philanthropist

Suzanne Bryan, Community Volunteer

Lyn Berman, Executive Director for Attitudes & Attire