Meet Sarah Pedarre
Executive Director - Forsyth County Community Connection

I live in an amazing community and I get to work hard every day for both.

After almost 12 years at the YMCA building their family programing, I took a leap of faith. I applied for the Executive Director position at the Forsyth County Community Connection. Someone once told me I was not cut out to be an Executive Director, that it just was not meant to be for some people, but my husband and family always had my back and pushed me to go for it. It is an amazing thing to have someone believe in you, sometimes it helps you believe in yourself. I loved my “Y”.

It is an amazing thing to have someone believe in you, sometimes it helps you believe in yourself...

I worked with incredible people, I had watched these families grow up from babies to now middle school, I had staff that went on to college, some were getting married and having babies of their own. And as hard as it was to say goodbye, I knew the timing was right and that all my work at the Y had prepared me for this new adventure! My first project as Executive Director made it so clear that I was where I was meant to be. I worked with a team putting together a foster parent event that had never been done in Forsyth County. Foster parents need 15 hours a year of continuing education credits to stay an open foster home. Obtaining these credits can be challenging and we were able to o‑ er up to seven hours with free childcare and food. We now o‑ er this training twice a year with an average of 150 foster parents attending, bringing just as many children and we have over 100 volunteers giving their time throughout the day. So many come together for this event, First Baptist Church of Cumming, the Library, the Sheriff’s, Fire Department, DFCS, CASA and even my “Y”! Find a gap in services and bring the right people to the table to fill it. This is what I am able to do now with so many great leaders in our community.

When I think about what my family did for me by believing in me, I cannot help but think about what would have happened if they did not. Would I have applied for this job? Would I have interviewed with such confidence? Our community has needs and we all need to believe that we can make a difference. My job ignites my passion for helping people. I get to connect with leaders and put plans into action that helps to strengthen our community. My hope is that everyone finds something about themselves to believe in. Believe you can make a difference in someone’s life, believe you can make healthier choices, believe you can take that chance and open your home and heart for a child.

Just believe.

Mission: The mission of Forsyth County Community Connection (FCCC) is to connect the needs of vulnerable children and families to agencies and volunteers.

Purpose: The purpose of FCCC shall be to empower youth and families to fulfill their potential and take their places as productive members in society. We coordinate resources to maximize outcomes for families and the community and when we create and coordinate pathways to solutions, we celebrate community success