While volunteering at a homeless shelter 17 years ago, Denise Charles witnessed a young mother with small children being turned away because the shelter was at capacity. Heartbroken, Charles began questioning the programs and procedures. Her compassion for this one small family led to larger conversations about making space for women and children in need. Charles received a job offer shortly thereafter and has been working in the nonprofit sector ever since.
Having experienced homelessness, domestic violence and poverty herself, Charles poured herself into her work. In 2012, she became a Transitional Living Program Manager at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children where she lived on-site with her family and 15 homeless youth. Over the past 12 years, she has held many roles and now serves as the Chief Program Officer. She leads the foster care programs for children 0 to 18 and programs for transition-aged youth, ages 18 to 24.
Charles has a gift for transforming obstacles into opportunities, and during her time at St. Jude’s Ranch she has worked tirelessly to create pathways to provide better services for more people. She was integral in increasing federal funding at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children from $500,000 to more than $4.5 million. This funding helped expand programs and serve more people. Five years ago, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children was serving approximately 200 people per year, and it now has the capacity to serve nearly 1,000 each year.