Valarie V. Matthews is a Baltimore native who heads Catherine’s Family and Youth Services Inc., as the Co-Founder and Executive Director. As a community servant and avid mentor, Valarie strategically implements enriching, engaging and quality programs focused on fostering relationships between children and their families in the Park Heights Community. Through Free Out of School Time and Summer Enrichment Programs that give at risk and troubled youth in Baltimore City a safe space in their community but also provides opportunities to experience cultural, social, recreational, philanthropic, and professional experiences within the City and surrounding areas through field trips and daily youth development that teaches young people to grow and enhance their life, character, social and leadership skills. Valarie has been instrumental in increasing Catherine’s Family and Youth Services’ programmatic impact by over 80% by implementing enriching, and engaging, quality programs by fostering relationships with children and their families, parents and their children while demonstrating a need for support and quality programs in the Park Heights Community. Under her tenure, Catherine’s Family and Youth Services has gone from an early stage start up organization to being one of few thriving and impactful nonprofit organizations in Park Heights. In addition, funding has increased by over 75% thanks to the growth of existing programs, and cultivation of recruiting new volunteers and donors, developing new partnerships and fundraising streams. To date, CFYS has awarded over 10,000 community service hours to students, social and student-based organizations in Baltimore City and surrounding areas. In 2015, Catherine’s Family and Youth Services was featured in the Afro Newspaper for Black History Month. In 2016, Sisters and Co-Founders, Shannon and Valarie were recognized by a local neighborhood association as “Unsung Heroes”, while also receiving City Council of Baltimore Resolution on behalf of President Bernard Jack Young and Vice President Sharon Green Middleton. In late 2016, Valarie was recognized by The University of Baltimore, National Society of Leadership and Success, for “Excellence in Service to Students in the Community”. In 2017, Valarie was recognized and named among few as a “Strong Woman in The Community” by a local church in Northwest Baltimore City among many other awards and notable recognitions. Valarie conducts workshops for aspiring millennials and those who are seeking to start their nonprofit organizations in Baltimore by providing consulting services. “I am honored and blessed to lead such a genuinely phenomenal, growing organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of everyone in not only Northwest Baltimore, but Baltimore in general” said Valarie. “When you grow up in a community that once thrived with booming businesses and quality programs, libraries and schools, that has helped mold and shape you into the person you are today, you have an obligation to find solutions to revamp and restore positivity and unity in that community by any means necessary”. Valarie resides in Baltimore and serves a community change agent and as an avid mentor to young ladies throughout Baltimore and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from The University of Baltimore.