HAMPTON - For 14 years Shedron Williams has been a man with a mission: to help keep your kids from getting pregnant or contracting HIV/AIDS.
Williams, Director of Prevention and Education Services at The ACCESS Network, Inc., was recently one of 30 top teen pregnancy prevention advocates in the nation honored last week by the Emory University School of Medicine and the Ford Foundation for outstanding work in providing services that prevent teenage pregnancies on the local and state level.
"This came as a surprise to me when I was contacted, but it makes me feel good for what I have accomplished and gives me the motivation to continue to help adolescents and young people," said Williams.
Since joining the ACCESS Network in 1994, Williams has helped contribute to a roughly 35 percent decrease in teen pregnancy in Hampton County over the past 14 years.
Williams was recommended for the recent honor by the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and was recognized at Emory's Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health on May 29.
Emory University staff and research team members met with Williams and other top advocates during four meetings across the nation to participate in discussion groups exploring youth sex education issues in today's world.
While proud of the honor, Williams acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, citing recent statistics that show the number of local and state teen pregnancies are on the rise for the first time in over 14 years.
Williams is a 1985 graduate of Wade Hampton High School and a graduate of Morehouse University in Atlanta, GA. with a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration and Political Science.
Williams founded the "Save Our Children" Foundation in 1992 before coming to work for ACCESS.
The teen health advocate currently lives in Hampton with his wife Cassandra, who is an educator, and their son Kyri.
About ACCESS Network
ACCESS Network was founded in 1989 through a Beaufort County mental health grant established by donors Jerry Binns and John Dowling and Friends, but the agency quickly grew from providing mental health services to assisting and education people about teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
In addition to health education and birth/disease control services, ACCESS provides nutrition assistance, support groups, legal assistance, HIV/AIDS case management, and even housing grants.
Today ACCESS is funded by federal and state sources as well as private donations and its 13 employees, directed by Chief Presiding Officer Gwen Bampfield, serve Beaufort, Hampton, Jasper, and Colleton counties.