About Us
Founded in May 2025, Seeds of Change Community Services, LLC (SOCCS) was created in response to the increasing need for culturally responsive mental health and behavioral support services for children with behavioral disorders within Black, Indigenous, and other BIPOC communities. As Founder and Executive Director, Darlene Riley, MSW, LICSW, brings a lifelong commitment to advocacy and to supporting children with disabilities and their families. Under her leadership, the SOCCS team offers more than five decades of combined experience in clinical social work, trauma-informed care, addiction counseling, and program management, ensuring high standards of care, accountability, and cultural competence. SOCCS is dedicated to bridging systemic gaps and uplifting voices that are too often left unheard. In alignment with this mission, the organization continues to expand its programming to include Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) and other supportive services for adults with disabilities. These initiatives promote emotional wellness, independence, and recovery through person-centered, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches. What distinguishes SOCCS is its family-systems approach—integrating behavioral health and mental health interventions within one organization to strengthen families as a whole. The agency remains deeply committed to reducing disparities in access to quality care for marginalized populations by combining evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed practices, and community collaboration to build resilience, stability, and well-being.
Meet Our Team
Darlene Riley, MSW, LICSW
Darlene has more than 31 years of child welfare experience, having served as an advocate, social worker, and social work supervisor. Throughout her career, she has been passionately committed to enhancing the lives of children and families. For 22 years, Darlene was a licensed foster parent, providing a loving home to over 50 youth and adopting six of the children she fostered. In the last 10 years, she has held various roles, including social work supervisor, foster care licensor, mental health therapist, and more recently, field director and professor of social work at a local university. Darlene specializes in working with children and families who have experienced trauma.
Darlene has a Bachelor's in social work and Master's in clinical social work. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in community care and counseling with a specialization in traumatology. This reflects her dedication to understanding and supporting individuals who have experienced trauma.
Darlene serves as the Executive Director of Yes We Can Community Services Inc. Additionally, she works as a mental health therapist at Beacon Therapy Associates where she assists clients in overcoming their challenges and finding healing.
Darlene's extensive experience and heartfelt dedication to her work make her a compassionate advocate for those in need. She is driven by a deep desire to create positive change in the lives of individuals and families.
David Riley
David Riley, MA, LADC, is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Yes We Can Community Services, Inc. He holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling. David is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) with over 25 years of experience in the field of substance use disorder treatment.
Throughout his career, David has been deeply committed to supporting individuals and families impacted by addiction, helping them achieve long-term recovery and stability. He also brings over seven years of specialized experience working with individuals re-entering society following incarceration, providing guidance, counseling, and support to help them successfully reintegrate into their communities.
David’s leadership is grounded in compassion, lived experience, and a strong commitment to community healing. In his role at Yes We Can Community Services, he helps guide program development and service delivery with a focus on culturally responsive, trauma-informed care that empowers individuals to rebuild their lives and thrive.
Our Partners
