Sabrina Clark first got involved with Council for Children’s Rights via its Young Ambassadors Group (YAG) in 2015, shortly after relocating to Charlotte from Nashville, TN. In Nashville, her connections to a number of child-serving organizations had led to board and volunteer work in the sector. That experience had proved meaningful and enjoyable and when she landed in Charlotte, she sought out similar opportunities here that would allow her to continue to work to improve outcomes for youth and families.
For Sabrina, a social worker with more than 15 years of experience working directly with and on behalf of children and families involved with the child welfare/juvenile justice/mental health systems, Council’s strong emphasis on advocating for these populations made volunteering with the agency a natural fit for her.
She’s be sharing that experience and her message of commitment with guest and supporters gathering together on March 20 for A Night For Children’s Rights, the Council’s annual fundraising event. We spoke with her this week about what she hopes people will take away from that evening and why
As you work in the community, has your experience with Council for Children’s Rights informed the work you do, and if so, in what ways.
Absolutely. Working with Council as a member of YAG has been a great compliment to my professional life, in that it keeps me abreast of children’s issues, but from a different perspective. Attending Council’s Coffee and Conversations events, where I’ve been afforded the opportunity to hear from local experts and engage in dialogue around such critical topics as legislative updates impacting educational and social services for children across the state and the current condition of mental health services for children in our community have all directly informed my work, as well as the perspective that I share with others.
What would you like people who are coming to ANFCR know about CFCR? What message are you personally hoping to get across that evening?
I want all attendees of ANFCR to know that the Council’s work is critical to the well-being of our county’s youth. We are fortunate in Mecklenburg County to have numerous resources within the child-serving community, however Council’s focus on advocacy at multiple levels, as well as their commitment to educating the community about a wide variety children’s needs and ways to help, sets them apart.
Personally, I’m hoping to remind participants that it truly takes a village—none of our child-serving entities can do this work alone, or without the support of the community behind them.
Are you nervous? excited? to speak that night?
A little bit of both, lol. However, I believe that excitement and a strong personal mission can conquer nerves any day.
Why do you think people should support this work?
Council lives their mission—every event I’ve attended, correspondence I’ve received, and endeavor I’ve read about their staff pursuing can be clearly tied to their overarching goal of ensuring that kids are healthy, safe, and educated. Their level of dedication and ability to effect good outcomes for youth and families inspires me to champion their cause and I invite you to do the same.
Read more about Sabrina in this 2016 interview.