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Meet Your Neighbor: Meet The Neighbor – Susan Deems Roske
By Callie Thomas
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
What began as a few people with a common goal of protecting abused and neglected children has grown into a state-wide resource that has made an enduring difference. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and there is no better example of the commitment to serving the public and instituting preventative initiatives then the dedication of 89074 resident Susan Deems Roske.
The forty year resident has seen much throughout her career, which has compelled her to help those who cannot help themselves. She’s been a social worker with the State of Nevada, and after attending law school in California, Roske was hired by the Public Defender’s Office and has been representing children in the juvenile delinquency court for over twenty-five years. After seeing children who are victims of sexual exploitation being prosecuted, Roske joined with an influential group of people including Juvenile Court Judge William Voy, Assistant District Attorney Teresa Lowry and UNLV Professor Alexis Kennedy to create a nonprofit foundation to help young victims and keep them out of the delinquency system. Thus, the PSEC (Protecting Sexually Exploited Children) Nevada Foundation was formed.
PSEC’s mission was later expanded to include all sexually abused and sexually exploited children, and the name became the Sojourn Foundation. Roske is the current chair and also serves on the Advisory Board for the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) and as Co-Chair of the Western Region. The compassionate public servant, wife and mother of four talks about starting a nonprofit, affecting change and protecting the rights of our youth.
What was it like starting a nonprofit from scratch?
“We found out it is not a simple task and realized that we needed to be educated as to how to be an effective board. We were very fortunate to have received a federal grant which allowed us to retain a consultant to educate us and help expand our board and reshape our mission. Sojourn Foundation has started to lay out a clear vision for what the organization will grow to be…the leader and voice in our community for children who have been sexually abused and exploited.”
How is the Sojourn Foundation assisting these children?
“Sojourn Foundation is in its start up phase and is developing a very strong Board of Directors and leadership team. Sojourn Foundation will introduce a centralized point of entry for all child victims of sexual abuse and their families and provide high quality, evidence informed care and treatment for these children, regardless of their involvement with traditional systems of care. Sojourn will improve the care for and treatment of children who are affected by sexual exploitation in Southern Nevada by creating a ‘safe house.’ Our website is www.sojournfoundation.org.”
Congratulations on being recognized for your achievements in juvenile justice.
“Thank you. It was a great honor to be acknowledged by the Clark County Public Defender, Philip Kohn. He selected me for his annual Scott H. Waitt Award for excellence in criminal defense.”
What do you do when you’re not busy with the Foundation or your work with the juvenile justice system?
“I love spending time with my family. I’ve been married to my husband Randall for thirty years, and we’ve raised four children. I like physical activity and we have always enjoyed the outdoors, camping, hiking, biking and spending time at our cabin in Brian Head, Utah. I’m also a member of Developing Gardens and Family Farming, a nonprofit started by my daughters and their friends to create a community garden in the southeast part of the valley.”
If you could do any other job in the world, what would it be?
“I can’t see myself in any other job. I love what I do.”
[…] You can read the actual article by clicking on to the link below. 89074 ZipCode Magazine Featuring Susan Deems Roske […]