Meet Teresa Williams, our Senior Permanency Specialist in the Adoption Permanency Division (APD). Teresa has been with the organization for over 15 years. She is a licensed Social Worker by gift and by trade. Teresa is responsible for providing post adoption services for 25 out of 82 counties in Mississippi. She is a CPR/First Aid/Blood Borne Pathogens Instructor and responsible for certifying and recertifying the central area SCSCY staff.
Teresa is married to Pastor Thaddeus J. Williams, Tulane MD Church in Yazoo City, who retired from MSDMH 4 years ago. She is the mother of 3 adult sons and 1 daughter who recently graduated high school and currently on her way to college. Teresa is a girl scout troop leader of 5576 and has completed a 3-year obligation for the National Delegate for Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi. If you ask Teresa about Southern Christian Services, she says, “Working for SCSCY has never been just a “job” for me, but a ministry. The day I come to work and state it’s just a job, I will know that my season here is over. After 15 years, I am still loving what I do. I am a Breast Cancer survivor and LOVE helping others, professionally and personally. I am active in other activities, but I do take time to read because that’s what I love to do in my down time.” We continued to ask Teresa a few more questions and here is what she said.
What made you come to SCS? I had a friend who worked for Southern Christian Services at the time that called and said they had an open position. Three weeks later, I came on board. I came here on faith, because the position/grant that I was hired for ran out the same year. It was a grant that was community and school based, which I was already doing, so I said Lord, here we go!!! Crazy Faith!!!
What are 3 things you would tell someone who is just starting at SCS? 1. I have had quite a few different positions during my 15 years at SCSCY and I love everyone of them. 2. The agency is very family oriented. It’s been on a very RARE occasion that I couldn’t attend something my family was involved in. SCSCY supports employee’s children as well as the youth/families we work with professionally. It’s a great place to work! 3. Be knowledgeable about not only the program you were hired to do, but all the programs. When you go out in the community, it’s about the presentation of you as a person and the agency.
Do you have any success stories you would like to share? I have too many. I leave you with this, when I work with youth and families, building relationships is important. My youth clients check in with me from years ago when I was working with homeless youth. Most of the youth that left the program, I would ask one favor of them and that was that they check in and let me know how they are doing. Most of them still do that from time to time. So, I’ve heard/seen some adoptions, new marriages, new babies, family reconnections, military, life issues and sad to say some jail stints and some deaths. Regardless of the change in our grant requirements, we still have families that call us for EVERYTHING because of the relationships we have built with our families. The families have a belief that I will do my best to get you what you need, if possible. They also know that my cell number has not changed in over 15 years.