In Memoriam - Tameka Lee
It’s been a difficult week for those of us at The Arc of North Carolina. On Tuesday, we learned that one of our beloved colleagues, Tameka Lee, had died. The news of her death has gutted each and every one of us, and we know many people in the grasp of The Arc of North Carolina over the last fifteen years knew her, too, and you grieve with us.
Tameka joined The Arc of North Carolina in 2011 as one of our Area Guardianship Specialists. She became a Regional Guardianship Specialist in 2014 and became Director of LIFEguardianship in 2021 after the retirement of Jean Farmer-Butterfield. She has been an integral part of the senior leadership team ever since.
Tameka had a calm, positive spirit about her that served her well as a human being, especially with personal health challenges she faced, but it really elevated her leadership role with our organization. She wholly believed in the core values of The Arc and she took a very serious approach to protecting the dignity and rights of those for whom The Arc of NC served as legal guardian.
Tameka was completely committed to the idea that people with disabilities should be active in any and all decisions about their life, and under her leadership many people for whom we were guardian have had their rights partially or fully restored. Many people benefitted from Tameka and her trainings, which ‘flip(ped) the script on guardianship’ as she talked about supported decision-making and other less-restrictive alternatives to guardianship. In addition, The Arc of North Carolina under Tameka’s leadership started some extra processes to ensure those entrusted to our care had the dignity and advocacy they needed at the end of their life.
For all of us who had the good fortune to know and work alongside Tameka, we found her to be a calm, steadfast leader, a trusted colleague, and a staunch advocate for those who needed it most. We will miss her tremendously.
At this time service arrangements are incomplete, but her obituary will be finalized and posted at https://www.stevensfamilyfuneralhome.com/obit.../TamekaM-Lee.
The Arc of North Carolina has been providing advocacy and services to
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1953.
Housing Division
Learn more about our housing services across North Carolina (IDD and SPMI).
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Founded in 1953, we are the oldest and largest I/DD advocacy and service organization in the state. The Arc is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
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We have many local chapters across the state.
Because chapters across the state focus on issues of concern in their respective regions, programs and services vary. If there is not a local chapter in your area, you can still be a part of The Arc. Joining a chapter at the local level automatically enrolls a person as a member of The Arc of North Carolina and The Arc of the United States.
Membership in a local chapter offers families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) a support structure as well as access to needed services. Membership is also open to professionals in the field of developmental disabilities, self-advocates, and to people interested in promoting the rights of people with IDD.
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The Arc of NC has five regional offices and one office dedicated to our housing division. From the western NC mountains to the eastern coastline, we have you covered!