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Local Mediator Receives National Outstanding Volunteer Award
CONROE, TX – Charlsie Moore, volunteer mediator with The Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. (DRC-MC) has been mediating cases since 2000, generally 1-3 cases weekly. Last week she received national and international recognition from the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) from Lori Diekman, Strategic Partnership & Resource Coordinator for NAFCM via ZOOM video conferencing in an event at the DRC-MC office in Conroe. NAFCM recognized Charlsie as the Outstanding Community Based Volunteer Mediator in the United States and Canada for the last quarter of 2019. She is the only recipient of the NAFCM award for this quarter.
The mission of the NAFCM is to advance the work of community mediation, aggregate the wisdom of community mediation and project the voice of community peacemakers. The membership-based, non-profit organization “supports community-based mediators in the United States and Canada in creating safe spaces for the transformation of conflict to opportunities for engagement, resolution and partnership through the work and will of the participants and those impacted.”
Charlsie has a special passion for conducting Child Protective Services (CPS) mediations for children who may have been abused or neglected. “My CPS parent clients find her endearing and responsive as well as attuned to their feelings,” said Michelle Finger Cantoni, Attorney at Law. “Charlsie allows the parents to have a voice, which is crucial when many times they are not allowed to be heard. She is an asset to mediations.”
Charlsie Moore has performed thousands of mediations free of charge for Montgomery County over the years. Charlsie has also been the primary advocate for CPS mediations enabling families to work on family plans sooner and begin working collaboratively for the best interests of the child(ren) as soon as possible. A scholarship is given annually in her honor at Texas Tech University allowing individuals interested in conflict resolution to financially complete their ADR education and training. The scholarship is awarded to the top-ranking student in the Advanced Mediation Clinic.
Over the years, Charlsie has also been a trainer for 23 General and 23 Family Mediation Training Classes and has taught 3 Child Protective Service Mediation Classes. Charlsie also works with Montgomery County students in grades K-4 dressing up as Mama Bear so that the children can mediate the dispute between Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. Kids love her as much as the adults in her training classes.
“Charlsie has been the mediator for well over 100 mediations in CPS cases where I represent either the children or the parents. She works well with attorneys, CASA, CPS, parents, and caregivers alike. She not only takes the time to understand the cases but encourages us to work outside the box to settle our cases amicably,” said LeeAnne Hill, Divorce and Family Law Attorney. “She does amazing work and never gives up hope that we will settle keeping relationships intact.”
Although she is approaching 80 years of age, she is always available to come in at the last minute to mediate, even in bad weather. Charlsie is a TMCA Credentialed Distinguished Mediator and has a conference room at the DRC-MC named the Charlsie Moore Mediation room for her contributions to the organization.
Elaine Roberts, Executive Director of the DRC-MC said this about Charlsie, “Attorneys frequently request Charlsie to mediate their cases due to her passion for assisting others to resolve their disputes in mediation, ability, and compassion for others. Charlsie has set aside at least three full days weekly to facilitate CPS mediations as needed. Often, she handles six cases in the same week and she acts a mentor to countless other volunteer mediators at the DRC-MC. Thanks in large part to Charlsie’s hard work and dedication over the years, the DRC-MC has grown from conducting 17 mediations in 1989 to nearly 1,000 mediations each year. Charlsie Moore truly deserves the designation of Community Based Mediator of the Quarter in the United States and Canada.”
The DRC-MC serves the community as a resource for resolving disputes, improving communication, and restoring relationships. Mediation helps to prevent disputes from escalating into serious civil or criminal issues by using professionally trained volunteer mediators who assist both parties to generate options to resolve their dispute, if possible.
The Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. (DRC-MC) is in Downtown Conroe at 301 N. Thompson Street, Suite 106, across the street from the Courthouse and is celebrating 30 years of resolving conflicts. The Montgomery County Commissioners Court and Montgomery County Bar Association established the nonprofit organization in 1988 and the DRC-MC has been helping people with difficult conversations since that time. Find out more about the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. by visiting www.resolution-center.org.
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