DARLINGTON, SC, October 20, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Patsy M. Yarborough Sawyer has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than four decades of excellence to her credit in social work, Ms. Sawyer has found success as the founder and executive director of the Macedonia Life-Skills Center since 1998. The center notably provides opportunities for disadvantaged and underserved youth and adults to gain skills towards self-sufficiency and productivity. Additionally, Ms. Sawyer is the chief operating officer of the Darlington Community Foundation. Since 2020, she has focused her efforts on managing day-to-day operations of the foundation and handling grants while offering classes to the community. She also secures partnerships with non-profit organizations to improve community programs and provide more services to the disadvantaged and underserved.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Sawyer began her career as a telephone operator and secretary for Southern Bell Telephone Co. in 1966 until becoming a substitute teacher with the Darlington County School District in 1976. She went on to become an administrative secretary for the Florence County Administrator in 1984 and an executive secretary with APAC-Carolina, Inc. in 1987 where she was eventually appointed Personnel/EEO/MBE Coordinator. Following this time, she undertook an internship with Coker College in 1990, and later joined Pee Dee Coalition in 1994 as a volunteer counselor and victim advocate and in 1995 became the rape crisis coordinator/counselor, continuing to work with the organization in various roles until 1998.
Ms. Sawyer continued her career as the manager for her company, Sawyer Enterprises, in 1997-99, and later became the program coordinator for Pee Dee Education Foundation in 1999 and, after three months on the job, became the executive director. In 2001, she became director of Communities-in-Schools Florence County. She subsequently served as the community and agency relations manager for Harvest Hope Food Bank in 2006 for a year and became the director for the Pee Dee Branch of the food bank in 2007 for two years.
Likewise devoted to civic advocacy, Ms. Sawyer serves in multiple roles within her community. She is a deacon at her church, the historic Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, where she is secretary of the deacon ministry, church school teacher, vacation Bible school teacher, a youth advisor, and directs the help ministry and emergency food pantry. She is also a member of the Darlington NAACP, American Legion Auxiliary Post 210, Darlington County Coordinating Council, Darlington Stakeholders, Darlington branch of the National Council of Negro Women, and is on the Board of Commissioners for Darlington County Community Action Agency where she represents low income individuals and families in Darlington. Furthermore, she was a member of the Genesis Health Care, Inc. board of directors and has served on the advisory boards for several organizations, including Pee Dee Healthy Start, Darlington Mental Health Association, Darlington County Foster Care, Clemson Extension 4-H, and Pee Dee Coalition. She is a volunteer youth facilitator for Circle One Foundation's Girls Circle and Boys Council, a volunteer abstinence facilitator for Heritage Community Services, and serves as the director of the local USDA Monthly Food Distribution Program and Emergency Food Pantry. She lends her expertise as a mentor for the 4th Judicial Circuit Court Youth Mentoring Program and as a guardian ad litem for the South Carolina Governor's Office.
Ms. Sawyer earned a Bachelor of Science in human resources management and social work from Coker College in 1994. Following this accomplishment, she attained a Master of Arts in human resources training and development from Webster University in 1996. Well-qualified in her field, she is a certified grants specialist and accredited level four standard "Positive Parenting Program Provider" with Triple P. In recognition of her excellent work, she was given a Dale Carnegie Special Achievement Award for Effective Speaking and a Dale Carnegie Human Relations Award in 1987. She was also honored with the Editor's Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry by the National Library of Poetry in 1998 and received a Florence Toastmasters Best Speaking Award in 1999. In Feb 2022, she was chosen by GLORY 98.5 as a Black History Month's Mover and Shaker of the Pee Dee sponsored by Atkins Law Firm and was the Florence and Hartsville Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's 2022 Sickle Cell Ambassador for the James R. Clark Memorial Sickle Cell Foundation, Inc. Looking toward the future, she intends to continue her work, especially as it pertains to providing better opportunities for disadvantaged and underserved children and families in her county.
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