Sam Blue
Vision for Children at Risk
Family Engagement Specialist
Sam is a supportive husband of 31 years and the father of nine children (seven daughters and two sons). He faced a number of challenges with parenting and financial issues during his early years as a parent. This led to his family’s involvement with the child welfare system. He successfully overcame these challenges and today he is and active advocate for children and families at the local, state and national levels.
Sam currently works as a Family Support Partner/Community Engagement Specialist with Project Launch at the Vision for Children at Risk in Missouri. He utilizes his background and visibility in the community to help engage parents and families with Project LAUNCH (Linking Action for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). He helps engage key leaders in developing a common strategy and plan for improving positive outcomes for young children, families, and the community. Through this, he interfaces and coordinates with parents involved with an initiative called Parents & Children Together-St. Louis (PACT-STL) – this initiative focuses on overall well-being of families, preventing child maltreatment and preventing entry into the child welfare system.
Prior to this, he worked at Grace Hill Head Start. Sam has served as the Chair of the Magnolia Center’s Parent Committee as well as the Vice Chair of the Policy Council. Sam was selected as the Missouri Head Start Association’s “2011 Father of the Year”. He was also an AmeriCorps member for two years serving as the Male Involvement Specialist. He was committed to the success and empowerment of both the fathers and children in the Head Start Program. In addition, he was named the Region VII Head Association’s “2011 Father of the Year”.
In addition to his exemplary work with Head Start and Project Launch, Sam was appointed to serve on the national Parent Advisory Council of the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) which is a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Today he is an alumni of this council. At the state level, Sam currently serves on the Missouri State Advisory Council. This council is working to ensure that families and other caregivers have the knowledge, access, tools, resources, and skills available to help children grow into mentally healthy individuals.
He has developed strong leadership and facilitation skills through his work with parent cafes and dad cafes. He has experience in facilitating local, state and national workshops, speaking at conferences and coordinating resources for parents and children. He is strongly committed to elevating the voices of fathers and mothers and their important roles in strengthening families, children and the broader community.
Sam earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science/Human Services at St. Louis Community College in 2007. He is the former President of the Clinton-Peabody Tenants Association and former Treasurer of the St. Louis TAB (Tenant Association Board). Sam is currently serving as a member of the Birth Parent National Network (BPNN).
Areas of Interest & Expertise:
Family Support
Leadership
Parent Engagement
Preferred Platforms:
Short Workshops (90 minutes)
Be Strong Families Webinars:
Aging Gracefully