Lezel Cunningham Safi serves on The CARE Center Board of Directors as the Board’s Governance Chair. She began volunteering in early 2020, shortly after learning about The CARE Center.

She believes the work The CARE Center does is incredibly important to the Oklahoma City community.

“There is no other agency or organization that does what The CARE Center does and to the extent that The CARE Center does,” Lezel said.

The CARE Center’s cause is especially close to Lezel, as a survivor of child abuse herself.

“One of the reasons I am so passionate about it is that I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse,” she said. “I never spoke about until the last four or five years, and I wish there had been the support of The CARE Center when I was a kid.”

Lezel said that working with The CARE Center gives her just as much support as it gives those cared for as part of the organization’s day-to-day work.

“The CARE Center is therapeutic, being involved with them,” Lezel said.

Although her long-term goal is to completely eradicate child abuse, Lezel hopes to see more involvement and awareness for The CARE Center going forward, including civic engagement from local community leaders.

As The CARE Center continues to strive for these long-term and short-term goals, we are so grateful to our board members like Lezel, who help vulnerable children throughout Oklahoma County and our state and continue to raise awareness. Thank you for everything you do!