Debi Ray Rivers
Founder & Executive Director

Debi Ray-Rivers was born and educated in Bermuda; graduating from Roger B. Chaffee High School. She entered the business world by working for Delta Airlines in Bermuda as a customer service agent for 13 years. Prior to SCARS, she spent 14 years as a Human Resource Manager.

With the support of her loving husband, Jerry, and her two precious daughters Brittany and Christy, SCARS was created out of a devastating family experience in 2004 which brought to light the need for greater awareness, education, and healing with respect to the issue of child sexual abuse. Mrs. Ray-Rivers began her crusade to prevent child sexual abuse in 2011.

Mrs. Ray-Rivers has a passion for God, family, and the protection of children. She is an example of how you can turn pain into purpose. A survivor of sexual abuse herself, she was determined to “Break the Silence and the Shame” associated with this crime against children.

Mrs. Ray-Rivers has a certification in Nonprofit Management from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She is an Authorized Facilitator for the Darkness to Light Organization, the nation’s leading advocate for the prevention of child sexual abuse in the United States.

Mrs. Ray-Rivers is a recipient of the 2013 Cablevision Community Service Award.

In December 2016, Debi was recognized for her exceptional service and work in the community and was awarded Her Majesty’s Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour.

Helen Ponte
Director of Programs

Helen Ponte was born in the U.K. and has lived in Bermuda since 1992.  She has 2 sons Sam and Max.  

Helen is responsible for all matters involving SCARS training & awareness programs.  She is also responsible for our dedicated volunteers, the SCARS website and all social media.

Mrs. Ponte is a trained facilitator with the Darkness to Light organization whose mission is to empower adults to prevent Child Sexual Abuse.

Helen’s tireless commitment to SCARS is a reflection of her giving heart and her passion for the protection of children.

Jessica Lewis
Volunteer Social Media Coordinator

Jessica Lewis was born in Bermuda and attended BHS and Saltus. For post-secondary education, she attended Brock University where she graduated in 2018 with an honors bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a concentration on Therapeutic Recreation.  

Jessica has been involved in sports her whole life and started competing internationally in Wheelchair Track Racing in 2010. Since then, she has represented Bermuda at 2 Paralympic Games: London 2012 and Rio 2016. She is the current ParaPan American Games record holder in the T53 100m and has won 3 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal between the Toronto 2015 and Peru 2019 ParaPan American Games. 

Jessica is thrilled to work with the incredible SCARS team as they do such amazing work for our community!