Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534028
46 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2025 violence. However, the majority of victims are women and families, which also o en have women as the head of household. It's really important that we're developing these supports because I really believe if you have strong individuals, strong families, then that creates strong neighborhoods and strong communities. In the instance of violence and victimization, a lot of times it really comes down to supporting women and making sure that they're safe and they're equipped to handle the day-to-day in a way that lets them have the highest potential for their own wellbeing – and therefore, the wellbeing of their family and community. Are there any women who have infl uenced your work in Central Georgia? If you walk into any of our meetings, while you don't see all women, you see mostly women. It's powerful to have that energy in the room. The one that immediately comes to mind would be the woman who off ered me my fi rst job that kept me in Macon when I graduated from Mercer. And that's Kathryn Dennis, the president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. She saw something in me when I was 21 years old, and that's why I stayed in Macon, to work at the Community Foundation. That really charted a path for me to love this community. In this work, I really think Dee Sims, who is the past executive director of Crisis Line and Safe House, was really the catalyst to get this project going. She's who hired me, and I've never seen somebody so passionate about this work as Dee. I remember my mom growing up, and we always knew about her work and we were always aware of her work. My mom was very much a power suit, power heels kind of woman. I remember trying on her pumps and hearing them click clack on the fl oor and wanting to do that when I grow up. Now being a mother, having two kids – Audrey is 12 and Connor is 8 – they're everything to me and they've always known what I do for work. They've always been involved in my work. When I worked at Wesleyan, Connor was in a baby carrier strapped on my chest at orientation. During the photo shoot for this article, Audrey's in the background holding my glasses and my hard hat and making funny faces. They've always been aware of what I do because I think my work doesn't end at my personal life and my personal life doesn't end at work. It's a blend. I want them to be proud of what I work hard for in our community. I want them to be inspired to work hard in their world. I hope I can show them that by having them involved in everything that's so great about Macon. We love to ask you about overcoming challenges and resilience. Is there a moment for you in your career that you've gotten through a major bump in the road? Back when the recession hit in about 2009, I worked for a nonprofi t where I was primarily a fundraiser. Being a fundraiser in the recession was not a great place to be, so we knew that there was probably going to be some downsizing. There's just a lot of stress about what that looked like, trying to raise money in rural communities that were really hard hit. I took a chance at a "This makes it easier for those who've experienced trauma and victimization in our community to get the help that they need." Sarah Schanck brought her daughter, Audrey, to help behind the scenes for her Hero photoshoot. Sarah says her kids have "always been involved in my work." For more behind the scenes, follow along on social media @maconmagazine.