Midlands executive receives Distinguished Humanitarian Award

Carol Yarborough, M.Ed, MSW, LISW-CP, executive director of the Dickerson Child Advocacy Center (DCAC) received the Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network (SCVAN) during its annual Victims’ Rights Week Conference awards luncheon held on April 24, 2023. The award, presented by Attorney General Alan Wilson, recognizes a lifetime of career achievement and outstanding contributions in the field of victim services.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Yarborough obtained a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and a Master of Social Work after completing a Bachelor of Arts Integrated Studies in Women’s Studies. She serves as the Executive Director of DCAC, a Lexington-based nonprofit providing therapeutic and investigative services to abused children and their non-abusive family members. Under her leadership, the full-time staff has grown from three to fifteen, moved from a 4,000 square foot residential home to a three-acre property with a 12,000 square foot facility and increased the budget from three hundred thousand to 1.3 million.

Yarborough’s career includes service on the SCVAN Board of Directors and the State Crisis Intervention Advisory Board as part of the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) grant funding initiative. She served as the Treasurer of the SC Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (SCPSAC) Board of Directors and as Chair of the SC Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (SCNCAC) Board. She serves on the 11th Circuit Domestic Violence Fatality Committee and is a graduate of Leadership Columbia, South Carolina, Leadership Lexington, and the Fred R. Sheen Francis Marion University Non-Profit Leadership Institute.

Yarborough has also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of South Carolina, College of Social Work and Women’s Studies, teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Her areas of expertise include grief and loss, child maltreatment, community social work, advanced practice with individuals, and victimization and survivor services, as well as an introduction to women’s studies.

Mrs. Yarborough is married to Steve Yarborough. They reside in West Columbia, and they have two married children and five grandchildren. Her tireless efforts and dedication to helping others have made a significant impact on the community and serve as an inspiration to all.

The Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) Staff and Board members have committed to helping the children, families, and community which we serve. It is a non-profit CAC providing therapeutic and investigative services to abused children and their non-abusive family members.

The mission of the Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center is to provide comprehensive assessment and treatment services to physically and sexually abused children ages 0-18 years throughout the Midlands of South Carolina.