Meet Our Founder
Carolyn W. Woods
Founder and Executive Director, Safe Harbor Children's Shelter
Her Story
A nurse from the bayou who saw what was missing
Nurse Carolyn Woods is a lifelong resident of Terrebonne Parish. Her career in nursing taught her to notice the quiet moments when a person is most frightened, and to steady them with calm presence and practical care.
When she welcomed a child into her home through foster care, she saw the gap up close. In a crisis, children in our region are often placed far from the community they know, and brothers and sisters are frequently separated from one another on the very night they need each other most.
Safe Harbor grew out of that conviction. Carolyn brought together a board of neighbors, professionals, and community leaders to build a place close to home where sibling groups can arrive together, sleep in the same house, and begin to heal in a warm, home like setting.
She leads Safe Harbor through its founding phase with the same steady approach she brought to the bedside: prepare carefully, tell the truth, and keep the child at the center of every decision.
I did not create the situations that cause children to be removed from their families. I just provide the place for them to feel safe and start healing again.
Carolyn W. Woods
Founder and Executive Director. A lifelong resident of Terrebonne Parish and a nurse, Carolyn welcomed a child through foster care and saw firsthand how often siblings are separated in a crisis. Safe Harbor is her answer.
I did not create the situations that cause children to be removed from their families. I just provide the place for them to feel safe and start healing again.Read Carolyn's story