d-mars.com Top 30 Influential Women of Houston
Sherrie Sams
Founder and Executive Director, Ambassadors for Christ Youth Ministries, Inc
P
eople have different drives and aspirations, which can either make them the leader or the follower.
True leaders are also good followers and come from all occupations. They are able to build lasting relationships, forge bonds, and develop trust with the people they encounter. One of those people is Sherrie Sams, who manages to succeed in her craft and, at the same time, succeed in developing and mentoring the people around her. Her position as the Founder and Executive Director of Ambassadors for Christ Youth Ministries, Inc. allows her to sow seeds into the youth served as well as the staff she employs. Ambassadors For Christ Youth Ministries, Inc. (AFC) is a 501(c)(3) faith and community based nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire excellence and promote leadership to children and youth through mentoring, music and 134
Top 30 Influential Women of Houston 2019
attention through the Aetna Foundation and CNN. Under her leadership, AFC has touched the lives of more than 12,000 at-risk, underserved and underprivileged youth. With a total of three administrative offices in two States (Texas and Arkansas), AFC operates two male and female transitional living programs for homeless young adults who are over the age of 18, as well as a Basic Center emergency shelter for homeless youth under the age of 18. Additionally, AFC operates a drop in and resource center in one of north Houston’s most high crime infested areas, a domestic-victims of human trafficking (DVHT) program, a street outreach program, a young mother’s juvenile reentry program, a childhood obesity health and wellness program, a counseling and therapy program to help combat issues of mental health, trauma and substance abuse and a teen pregnancy prevention, HIV and STI awareness program. As AFC embarks upon its 13th year in October, Sams has plans to expand its services the performing arts in order to provoke yet again, to incorporate social enterprise positive change and enrichment in the businesses and a young offenders’ 2nd community. Sams graduated from the chance reentry program. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Beyond her professional work, Sams afterwards, established a 12-year career is an avid believer in discontinuing the as a Polymer Chemist. Ever since she poverty mentality that some of our youth could remember, Sams has possessed have unfortunately inherited. She has an a deep love of music and the performing unparalleled passion to shift the mindsets arts, and later discovered that this love of at-risk youth and instill in them positivity would give her a platform in churches and and fortitude. schools to minister to youth experiencing Sams currently resides in Houston, Texas, issues of bullying, drugs, teen pregnancy, is married to Kenneth Sams, and has three homelessness and abuse. She was so children, ages 23, 21, and 4. As a mother fueled by her passion that it gave an of multi-generational children, she brings unquenchable drive to begin providing a unique perspective to the juggling act voluntary mentoring sessions to youth at women face daily balancing motherhood an alternative school near her workplace and their professional lives. during her lunch breaks. In 2006, through an undeniable prompting of the Holy Spirit, Sams founded Ambassadors For Christ. Since its inception, AFC has become a thriving, state of the art organization that has gained national
Sherrie Sams Founder and Executive Director Ambassadors for Christ Youth Ministries, Inc www.afcyouth.org
