Proud Anson County native Caroline Goins has worked both professionally and personally to serve the Anson County Partnership for Children’s mission of “helping making Anson County a better place to be a child and to raise a child.”
Goins is the executive director.
“I am fully invested in the growth and development of our community,” she said. “The guaranteed success of our community relies on the investment in our young children.”
Goins serves as the president of Wadesboro Rotary Club, chairwoman of United Way’s Day of Caring in Anson and serves on the boards of the South Piedmont Community College Foundation and Centralina Workforce Development. She is also a member of Anson Women’s League and Young Professionals-Anson.
“Anson County is my home, but home is not a location, it’s a community,” Goins said. “Anson County is blessed with the most incredible people that come together in the face of adversity.”
Anson County is a Tier 1 county, meaning one of the most economically depressed in the state of North Carolina. However, Anson was rated the most generous county according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2012.
Not only has Goins witnessed this generosity in her professional life with the donations of this community for the Partnership’s annual fundraiser Barn Blast, but personally as well.
“By third grade when my father passed away, I realized that no one was ever truly alone and in our community we take care of each other with everything we have,” she said.
Being a fan of rural North Carolina, Goins received her undergraduate and master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and later a certificate of nonprofit management from Duke University knowing she wanted to use her skills to give back to the community that raised her.
Both of Goins’ parents were teachers, constantly reinforcing the importance of contributing to the community.
“When I was younger, I would get jealous of my mama’s ‘school babies,’” Goins said. “She was always thinking about her students.”
It wasn’t until high school that Goins said she understood the importance of her mother’s dedication and the impact she made in the community.
“To have grown men seek her out in Walmart just for a hug more than 30 years after she taught them… that’s the impact I want to make on children in this community,” Goins said.
Goins is thankful for those who paved the road of opportunity for these investments in our children and families.
“Children are the best of humankind. Children love without resistance, give without hesitation and live without fear,” she said.
The Partnership was a natural fit for Goins. Not only does Goins have a love for young children, but she stated that investing in young children is the most effective way to benefit Anson County as a whole.
That’s what took place in the 1990s, when a group of community leaders set out to build a stronger foundation for Anson children. The Anson County Partnership for Children was founded in 1996 in response to the state’s Smart Start iniative.
Since then, many programs in literacy, parental education, child care and health have been successfully carried out.
Goins said refining the Partnership’s mission is helping them make the biggest impact.
“In the future, we will be making adjustments to current programs and introducing new programs that offer mobility in areas where transportation in a barrier,” she added. “We recognize that families come in all shapes and sizes, and our commitment to serving those diverse needs will make our organization stronger.”
The Partnership is shifting the narrative from the community knowing it as the “organization that gives things away” to the “organization that facilitates positive change.” This shift isn’t possible without the continued support of community partners.
“As the African proverb says, it takes a village to raise a child, meaning every citizen in Anson County has an obligation and privilege to invest in our children,” Goins said. She added that the community can help by volunteering with organizations such as the Partnership or schools, scouts, and afterschool programs.
“Children need strong role models to show them the many possibilities and to support them in their dreams,” she said.
For those interested in making a monetary donation to the Partnership literacy initiative, consider “Sponsor a Child for Datreon.” The funds raised are in honor of Datreon Lowery, who passed away just before his first birthday due to complications from a birth defect. Donations will provide Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books for Anson County children.
“It is my pleasure to work with amazing staff, board, community volunteers and partnering agencies that believe in the future of our children and the success of Anson County,” Goins said. “The future is bright, I see it in the smiling faces of our children.”
Caroline Goins, director at Anson County Partnership for Children, reads to a young child.