Volunteer Center of Durham Names Stephen Raburn as New Executive Director
(Durham, NC September 26, 2006) Stephen Raburn is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Durham. He will begin his new position November 1, 2006. Raburn will be charged with enhancing the image of Volunteer Center of Durham, increasing funding, community support and expanding programs.
“My family and I are really excited about getting back to North Carolina. I think the Volunteer Center of Durham is a great organization and I'm proud to be a part of it,” said Raburn.
Stephen is the founder and former Executive Director at The Center for Child Advocacy and Research (CCAR), a national nonprofit organization based in Napa, CA. He has spent the better part of two decades working with and on behalf of children and families in a variety of settings, much of that time within the context of the child welfare system. Prior to CCAR, Stephen was hired as the first Executive Director at LifeWorks, an organization which provides therapeutic programs for abused children on site of a 12-acre ranch in Napa Valley.
Before moving to California, Stephen served as founding Executive Director of Adoption Options in Charlotte, a special needs adoption agency which recruits and supports families for some of North Carolina's neediest children.
Additionally, Stephen has worked hands-on with children with a variety of issues and diagnosis at psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, therapeutic foster care agencies and Teaching-Family Model group homes.
He has been involved in numerous task forces, committees and boards including serving as President of the Mecklenburg (County) Council on Adolescent Pregnancy; chairing the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and serving on the Child Fatality Task Force. Stephen received a special commendation: “Special Friend to the Children of North Carolina” by Governor Hunt for his work on adoption reform.
About Volunteer Center of Durham
The Volunteer Center of Durham is a non-profit organization that enriches the Durham community and the lives of it's residents through volunteerism. Their mission is to connect people of all ages with opportunities to serve, to provide community agencies with essential resources and training, and to coordinate programs that raise awareness of and impact local needs.