Supporting Valley youth Mack makes sure area children get help Doris Mack is very proud of the children she helps. Here she shows the artwork of one of the youth at System of Care.
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he non-profit she has poured every bit of her heart, soul, energy and effort into since its inception in the late ‘90s is where she sees herself for the rest of her days. Doris Mack is the executive director and volunteer for System of Care/ Families Supporting Families of Halifax County Inc., 1322 Roanoke Ave. in Roanoke Rapids, which helps children 5 to 18 years old with severe emotional disabilities. Mack, who turned 78 years old April 25, said, as far as her future goes, “I will probably have to be rolled out of here in a wheelchair. My children need me, and I need them.” She is a native of Halifax County, raised in Lincoln Heights and presently residing in Littleton, after approximately a 35-year stint in the Newark, N.J., area. Although Mack’s sights were initially set on nursing, her interests turned to an education career — teaching, tutoring and after school programs. She retired in New Jersey in 1990 and moved back to the Roanoke Valley. “Ms. Mack is the brains of the operation. She thinks it and it happens,” said Stephanie Smith, of Roanoke Rapids, volunteer at the non-profit. Smith initially came to the non-profit as a case manager representing children who needed help. “I saw they (the non-profit) were impacting people’s lives, I wanted to stay,” Smith said. Mack shared the non-profit does not see as many children as it would like to see, and schools should “focus on the disability instead of the behavior … and provide services to make the child’s life better.” If so, she added, there would be less suspended students. Mack says the children she sees come through her door with serious emotional disabilities, they often get thrown into a stereo-typical category of mentally challenged. She says there is a huge difference, and the treatment is different, as well. “For instance, if a child comes from a domestic violence situation or they haven’t eaten or a parent has died, they may misbehave in school because of these underlying circumstances and they do not know how to deal with their situation, and need guidance, nurturing and fostering,” Smith explained. Adding to that, Mack said, “If a child is suspended, schools need to investigate deeper to find out why, then offer the services to help, because it is just amazing how creative and smart these kids are.” System of Care began in 1999 through the Riverstone Mental Health Center via a federal grant with a budget for six years, now the money it receives is strictly through donations. A condition of the grant was there had to be a parent group attached to the non-profit. “Parents are the backbone of activity,” Mack said. “They
8 | Roanoke Valley Woman
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS BY KRIS SMITH
make sure we get what we need.” Mack has been involved in the community by being chairman of various groups — Halifax County Schools Adolescent Health Committee, Littleton/Lake Gaston Festival 1993-1994, Foster Care Teleform for Halifax County Department of Social Services 19992000 and Halifax County Human Relations Commission; in addition, Mack has been a board member of the following: Halifax/Warren Smart Start Partnership for Children, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Halifax County/Littleton libraries, Leadership Connections Inc. and John 3:16 Center. Mack is married to Robert H. Mack Sr. — whom she credits for helping with office needs and eating many late dinners due to her work at the non-profit. The Macks have two children, a son, 51, who lives in Alexandria, Va., and a daughter, 54, who lives in Doris Mack Brooklyn, N.Y. welcomes anyone to come As far as Mack’s othby on Tuesdays er children, she says the when Families non-profit has helped Supporting “hundreds, no thousands Families offers food. She often of children, and so far we’ve wears her kufi and been able to maintain and matching scarf, sustain.” because she says For more information about she is very proud to be an AfricanSystem of Care/Families SupAmerican woman. porting Families or to make a donation, call 252-535-4000.