By Amelia Lowe
Dolly Tate, along with the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC); the United Way; and the League of Women Voters, founded the Council for Children in 1979 to provide an independent voice to protect the best interests of children.1 Tate, who died in 1991, was a nationally known child advocate who organized TAPS (Teenage Parent Services) and was the first president of the Council for Children. In her remarkable lifetime, Dolly touched the lives of so many women, children, and families in the Charlotte area.
The League, while influential in its overarching goals and mission, also touched Dolly’s life on an individual level. She observed that the League’s training and the opportunities they provided women were invaluable. In 1986, Dolly remarked that “[f]rankly, in the 1940s and 1950s, there was not a lot of training [in the community].” The JLC worked, and continues to work, to fill that need and provide training to its members and the community at-large. Dolly helped shepherd the JLC throughout much of the 20th century and saw some major changes in the roles of League women, both internally and in the greater Charlotte community.
In addition to her League duties, Dolly actively volunteered in other organizations in the Charlotte community. She was on the board of the Mecklenburg chapter of the United Way and sat on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority Board of Commissions. Dolly also organized TAPS in Mecklenburg County, which still provides Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools programming to assist young mothers with completing their high school educations and beyond. She and her late husband, John Austin “Jack” Tate served the children and parents of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area for the better part of 50 years.
In one of Dolly’s greatest contributions to the Charlotte area, she was the first president of the Council for Children. In 2006, the Council for Children merged with Children’s Law Center, creating one of the most comprehensive child advocacy and child legal services agencies of its kind in North Carolina.1 Now the Council for Children’s Rights, the organization works in seven core competency areas: delinquency defense, mental health representation, custody advocacy, guardian ad litem, special education representation, research and policy, and community engagement and awareness.
Through determination, patience, and perseverance, Dolly shaped the Council for Children’s Rights into the organization we know today by providing a strong foundation through the creation of the Council for Children. And because of her passion and commitment to children’s issues, the Dolly Award was created and is named for her. The award is given each year by the Council For Children’s Rights to an individual who epitomizes the spirit of Dolly, especially her dedication and uncompromising advocacy on behalf of all children.2 Since its establishment, numerous JLC members have received the Dolly Award, including Dolly’s own daughter-in-law, Claire Tate, who followed in her mother-in-law’s footsteps to become a JLC leader and integral member of the Charlotte community.
Although Dolly passed away in 1991, she left an indelible mark on the Charlotte community and the lives of children in our area. Her lasting impact can be seen through children’s programs, advocacy organizations, and of course, the JLC.
Current JLC member Cabell Clay serves as the President of the Council for Children’s Rights Board of Directors. Clay remarks on the legacy of the Council for Children’s Rights and the JLC.
“Since Dolly Tate and other leaders from the [JLC] pulled varied community resources together to form Council for Children’s Rights in 1979, the visions and missions of the League and the Council have been intertwined in our shared work of improving the lives of children and families in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County by standing up, speaking out, and providing leadership towards a future where all of our children are safe, healthy and well-educated. The 40 years of the Council’s history pursuing that bright future for our children is a product of the more than 90 years of the League’s community building. The Council has relied – and still relies – on the League not only directly for Board members, program volunteers, individual donations, and program grants, but also indirectly for the roles of League members with our public and private community partners. Ours has been a shared history of teamwork knitting together a stronger community fabric which, as the League said at their anniversary a few years ago, has been more than ‘90 years in the making.’ With that forward looking approach, anniversaries give us an opportunity to reflect on the past, not to dwell on shortcomings or to revel in accomplishments but to see our foundation, to understand our present, and to anticipate the changes that will light our path to the future. That is a legacy we can all be excited about.”
For more information on the Council for Children’s Rights, please visit their website at https://www.cfcrights.org.
1 Council for Children’s Rights. https://www.cfcrights.org/about/history/
2 Council for Children’s Rights.http://www.cfcrights.org/pdf/Dolly%20Award%20&%20Champions%20for%20Children%20Award%20Nominations.pdf
