From Client to Director
April 14, 2021
"I drove a 1986 AMC Eagle. It did not go in reverse. It was a challenge when parking. I promise you it was a big deal," said Audra Rea, Panhandle Community Services (PCS) Assistant Director for Family Development. Rea was in Dumas recently to attend a ceremony marking the beginning of the process for finally building a new, permanent office in Dumas for PCS, the Panhandle's largest social service agency.
Rea is no stranger to Dumas. She is a 1994 graduate of Dumas High School. She understands social services from both sides. She once needed help from PCS, and now she is in a position to be the one providing help to others. Her story about having to cope with an unreliable car is one many PCS clients can relate to. It has become a metaphor for Rea's approach to life and her team's message to those they are helping: "wont let you go backwards, have to keep pushing forward."
Rea had a baby in high school, a son she named Mathew. And like many others, Rea found that raising a baby as a teenage girl in school was not easy. "My family was supportive, but they were not going to make it easy enough for me that I forgot I was raising a child," said Rea. CLICK HERE to read the full article.
The original version of this story can be found here: https://www.moorenews.com/news/from-pcs-client-to-assistant-director-former-dumas-resident-has-seen-social-services-from-both/article_445655be-9d26-11eb-ae47-23f64c6d4c58.html.