20 Who Count: Carrie Watkins

By Jenna Wilson

While her original life journey didn’t include advocating for abused children, Carrie Watkins had a change of heart and felt the need to be a voice for so many in St. Joseph.

Watkins graduated from Missouri Western in 2003 with a bachelor’s in social work and a minor in gerontology, with an initial goal to serve the elderly.

“My mom had worked with kids with children’s Division when I was a kid, so I just didn’t want to do that,” Watkins said. “I wanted to blaze my own trail. But as I got older, I thought kids and the elderly, they’re kind of the same population, and they’re the voiceless, powerless and sometimes overlooked.”

Watkins is currently serving as community engagement director and forensic interviewer for the local nonprofit Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center, which serves nine counties. She devotes countless hours helping abused children in the community, working alongside the children’s division, law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney.

The most rewarding part of the job? Helping children build trust with an adult despite feeling like they have no one to turn to, she explained.

“Our campaign this year is to join us in empowering kids to change the world,” she said. “We believe that by believing the children we empower them to come forward, tell the truth, share their story and make a difference.”