Encouraging and Creating Positive Opportunities

March 4, 2022

The first time Leslie Shaver, new Snow-Redfern Foundation board member, recalls truly taking an interest in children and their circumstances was when she was working as a lifeguard for several years in high school and in college.

“The differences were very apparent”, she said.

Even in a small community it was clear to her that children had different opportunities available to them and different types of love, care, support, and attention at home.  For some, the pool, with its usual lifeguards and regular patrons, became a safe place and a second family during the summer.

These same observations continued into adulthood when Leslie became an attorney and on occasion handled cases on behalf of the local municipalities that involved adjudicating juveniles.  Those early observations about not every child having the same opportunities and levels of care and guidance became even more glaring when dealing with teenagers and the situations they found themselves in within the court system, and when advocating for parents about what was in their children’s best interests in child custody cases.  Those experiences, coupled with seeing what is possible for all children eventually in the higher education realm, in which she currently works, are what made her want to be a part of the Snow-Redfern Foundation.

 “I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of encouraging and creating positive opportunities and experiences for children in Nebraska!”