CONGRATULATIONS Mary Beth! It is our pleasure to recognize Mary Beth Camp with Kershaw County DSS. Thank you, Mary Beth, for outstanding service to children and families!
“Mary Beth’s first anniversary with DSS was July 11th of this year. Even though she has been at DSS a short time, she has already made an incredible impact. Mary Beth is an investigator with Kershaw DSS. Like many other case managers, she works tirelessly to keep our children safe – she works late nearly every night and has worked many weekends as well to do what it takes to get the job done. There are many examples I could give you to explain why Mary Beth deserves this honor, but I’ll share just one that was truly moving to me. She was working with a foster child who had been sex-trafficked and the child explained to her that she would run away because she believed her abuser would find her in foster care and kill her; but, if she willingly returned to him then her punishment for leaving would be less severe. She was truly scared of her abuser and believed he would come for her. Mary Beth stayed with her nearly all weekend to help her feel safe. After a period of time, the girl shared more and more details about the abuse she endured. To convince the child she would be safe in foster care so she wouldn’t run back to her abuser, Mary Beth asked the child to show her everything in her possession that her abuser had given her since these items may have been how he was able to track her down in the past. She showed Mary Beth a cell phone, a pocketbook, and a pair of boots. Mary Beth gave the child all the money in her pocket in trade for the three items so they could throw them away and buy new things. After that, the girl felt safe enough to remain in her placement and she quickly settled into foster care and her new school. In this child’s life, and many others, Mary Beth did whatever was necessary not only to keep her safe but to make sure she also felt safe. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to recognize her through this nomination.”
