It was a great honor to recognize Lynn for her service and achievements at the annual No Place Like Home event. Lynn’s wish is that every child in the foster care system has a Guardian ad Litem Volunteer, and she feels strongly that as long as there is abuse and neglect in our society, we need to continue to advocate for these children.

Lynn Sherman was previously a Board Chair at Guardian ad Litem Foundation for two years and a board member for six. She exemplifies the dedication and commitment to children that GALF embodies.  Lynn was originally attracted to the program because she understood the major difference having an advocate can make in the life of a child. She will continue to be an advocate for and address the needs of the vulnerable children in Northeast Florida as the Executive Director of Health Programs for Mayor Donna Deegan.  In this new role, Lynn will focus on efforts to decrease the infant mortality rate in Duval County, and work to expand Children’s mental well-being by providing an expansion of mental health counselors, especially in organizations that care for kids in poverty and addressing their social determinants of health, such as housing and healthcare insurance.

Lynn’s contributions to the advocacy of youth in our community include:

• Served for 25 years as a youth mentor and manager of the Tipping the Scale Adolescent Advocacy and Intervention Mentoring Program, whose goal is to support high schoolers from 9^th–12^thgrade, as they navigate adolescence. This program provides support as they bridge the gap between high school and college or other higher learning.

• Conducted a Girls Empowerment Conference for girls ages 9–18 years for 14 years. The focus of this program is to build self-esteem and resilience in girls.

• Served on the Board of Directors as a Board Chair for 904WARD Youth Advocacy Training for two years. The goal is to teach teens how to advocate for themselves and their community.

• Served on the Board of Directors for Northside Community Involvement, Inc. for six years.

• Creator and Coordinator for Brave Hearts Program for Girls at Northwestern Legends Elementary for two years. This is a life-skill training program for girls from 3^rd–5^th grades. This school is a neighborhood school that historically has a low attendance rate, and the purpose is to help build self-esteem and resilience in girls who have low attendance. As a result of this program, attendance improved 72%.

• Served on the Youth at Work Steering Committee for Kids Hope Alliance for five years.