Sarah Heath, The Village

Meet Sarah Heath, a leader whose work is rooted in one simple but profound truth: People matter. This belief has fueled her career, shaping every story she tells, every initiative she leads, and every connection she fosters. Her leadership isn’t just about strategy - it’s about people. As Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at The Village, she’s not just amplifying an organization’s mission; she’s championing families, ensuring they get the support and advocacy they need. With two decades of experience spanning agency, media, and nonprofit work, she’s built a reputation for crafting stories that inspire action and drive real change.

But her impact doesn’t stop there. Serving on the Avon Board of Education, she works to create meaningful opportunities for students and families, advocating for equity and student well-being. And in July 2020, she founded ShopBlackCT, a volunteer-driven initiative designed to uplift and amplify Black-owned businesses across Connecticut. What started as a simple idea has grown into a powerful movement.  ShopBlackCT now features over 2,000 Black-owned businesses, offering support through pro bono digital marketing, writing and photography services to help them thrive. The impact has been undeniable: 95% of business owners surveyed said ShopBlackCT has been helpful, and 83% reported increased exposure, sales, or new connections thanks to the initiative.

At the heart of it all, Sarah believes in people.  Whether she’s crafting compelling narratives, advocating for systemic change, or simply listening with the kind of intention that makes you feel truly heard, she continues to build bridges that bring communities closer and opportunities within reach.  And I am so grateful for the opportunity to sit down and talk with her!!

Sarah, tell us who is impacted by the work that you do?”  

I approach this question from several perspectives since I wear a few hats and while separate, all my projects overlap.  I think the biggest group I care most deeply about are people who are under-served and under-resourced. I want to leverage whatever skills I have to help break down barriers for those facing disproportionate challenges.

My work at The Village is primarily administrative - I oversee marketing and communications to generate support for the organization. The Village serves children and families with mental health and behavioral health support during what's become a children's mental health crisis in America. Many people face barriers to accessing these services—language barriers, financial barriers, geographic barriers, and more.

I'm passionate about this work because while marketing is one thing, I'm trying to increase access for people who need help, because everyone needs support in one way or another. I'm also helping connect people who have resources with opportunities to contribute.

My background is in the creative field—I've worked at ad agencies, newspapers, and other organizations. Before returning to Connecticut, I was balancing my desire to work within the community with my creative interests. This included arts education in community settings and running children's after-school programs.

My current career path merges both worlds—I'm helping in meaningful ways while using my creative skills. In college, I was trying to balance community, education, and graphic design, wondering how to make these paths work together. More than sending out resumes, the big step came when people who believed in me presented opportunities. 

One of my first opportunities was at a startup newspaper in Boston, the Boston Haitian Reporter. That introduced me to the Haitian diaspora and really expanded my worldview.

Hartford holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in Avon, Connecticut, and there was always this divide between suburban communities and the capital city - people would commute to work there and then go back home. But Hartford has such a wealth of culture, diversity, and beauty, yet it's very under-resourced. Many children don't have the same opportunities that I had.

I was always drawn to help from my position. I didn't grow up wealthy, but I came from a town with more resources for success. So I joined a tutoring program where we'd go from Avon High School to help kids learn to read. I met a kindergartner there, and we bonded—I've been friends with her family since. She came and worked alongside me in Hartford, though she sadly passed away last year.

We talked about the importance of being willing to step outside of what’s familiar to us, being curious and taking a learning stance. 

"I was always drawn to the Hartford community, which some people find surprising. I'm comfortable stepping into that discomfort, especially at this point in my career. I understand when people question why I'm doing this work or what my motivations are—that's completely reasonable since I'm not from Hartford or that community. Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone to try to make a difference.

Often people who look like me step into situations thinking they have all the answers. And it should be clear, I've made mistakes.  I've entered situations with assumptions and then realized I was way off base. I needed to take more of a listening stance, and this approach was really gifted to me through many of my career opportunities.

Before The Village, I worked at Urban Alliance, where we collaborated with 100 different churches and community organizations across the Greater Hartford area. That's an incredible amount of diversity. It taught me the importance of learning and maintaining a learning stance.

Even in my current role at The Village, I'm constantly asking: How am I messaging things in a way that's not just culturally competent but also doesn't solely reflect my perspective? How are we listening to the people we serve to communicate with them effectively?"

She emphasized the importance of not falling into an us vs. them mentality, or you are less than. Rather we take an approach of collaboration, how do we support and solve things together.  

“Take the ShopBlackCT initiative. We were in the COVID shutdown, when George Floyd was murdered. Many conversations were happening in the community about supporting the Black community. At that same time, I personally wanted to support Black-owned businesses but couldn't find a resource to help me, while learning that 41% of Black-owned businesses were closing during the pandemic. It was this whole whirlwind.

I reached out to some colleagues of color and Black business owners I personally knew and asked if a free website resource would be helpful. We formed a core group - I designed the site using my marketing skills—and launched ShopBlackCT in July 2020. Starting with 175 businesses, we now have over 2,000 listed.

I don't like to be centered within the project, but I've been reminded that stepping forward helps encourage others to take action. My mission is to encourage people to contribute what they can. We all have something to offer. I might have the marketing skill, but I don't have other skills needed to sustain this initiative. Many community and media partners have helped amplify our work. The Connecticut Sun amplified our message and the billboards were from Outfront Media. There have been so many different ways this project has grown.

The purpose was to remove barriers, helping people support these businesses while providing these businesses with free advertising and marketing. That's really the heart of it. And while there's been much more positive response overall, there has been some loud negative feedback from a smaller group of people. But that's part of doing this work."

Where does all this passion come from?  Is there a personal connection?

"Two things really come to mind. First is my faith.  Love God and love your neighbor. But what does that look like? For me, it's love in action. It's understanding that I'm not the only person in this world, and by joining together, we're able to uphold one another. I believe we should focus on reaching out to neighbors who may not look like me or come from the same background - getting out of that bubble.

My second influence comes from growing up in Avon. I had a very unique experience because I didn't grow up in a financially privileged household. This taught me about breaking down assumptions of what someone's experience might look like from the outside versus what's happening beneath the surface. I had a wonderful childhood, but often when I say I'm from Avon, people instantly make assumptions. That experience - growing up in a wonderful town with an excellent education system but not really fitting the mold of what many people see Avon as - helped me realize there are other groups being stereotyped.

I've been driven to break stereotypes and challenge assumptions. I want to dismantle what I call 'the othering.' When I see someone whose life is different from mine, I know nothing about what it's like to be in their shoes. So how do we make sure we're supporting everyone based on what they say their needs are, rather than what we assume?

That's what really drives my work. It's also that desire to continue learning, to just be a better person. For me, if I'm going to work every day and I'm not in a position of servant leadership and continuous learning, I'm not doing it right."

While rewarding, purpose driven work can also require significant energy from us.  Do you have a self-care routine that helps you maintain balance? 

"I really love practicing yoga.  It's one of my main outlets. I also really enjoy hiking. In both yoga and hiking, I can practice mindfulness and connect more deeply. Prayer is important too, connecting to my faith. These practices all help remind me that while I'm important, I'm also small in the grand scheme of nature.

These moments of reflection give me guidance and wisdom on how to navigate this world and where to direct my resources. Because you can't do everything.  I'll be the first to admit I'm an imperfect person. People often ask, 'How do you do all these things?' and I tell them that I'm not always doing all of them well! Sometimes it's hard to juggle everything.

It takes intentionality to divide my time effectively, and that comes with learning and making mistakes. But having that time to stop, reset, and think - whether through prayer or meditation - helps clear the chaos and hopefully provides clarity for what steps to take next.

And I love a good pedicure—I'm not going to lie!" (laughs)

Has there been a particular challenge in your own life, where looking back now, you realize it was a pivotal moment in your own growth journey? 

"When I was a teenager, I was leading a tutoring program for Avon students to tutor Hartford students. That experience was truly eye-opening. I was assigned to help a girl with reading comprehension, but when I started working with her, I discovered she couldn't even identify letters. She was essentially slipping through the cracks in the system.

As I got to know her, I learned more about her situation. Her mother was very young when she had her. They were from Puerto Rico and primarily Spanish-speaking. This experience opened my eyes to the human reality behind statistical needs. I was probably 16 or 17 at the time, and seeing that this girl wasn't just a statistic - not just another kid who couldn't read in the Hartford public school system - changed my perspective.

The school system was doing their best. She had a loving teacher who was simply overwhelmed with too many kids in the class. After getting to know her, I started going to her home a few times a week to provide free tutoring. Her mom would cook me dinner—these beautiful homemade meals and we developed a meaningful relationship.

Obviously, you can't do that with every student, but that experience really taught me that when you see a need, you shouldn't make assumptions. Instead, see how you can help, but also work as a community. Her mom contributed what she was skilled at - she could offer food and a sense of community. The girl was in her home environment, in her bedroom, feeling more secure than at school. We all worked together to ensure she moved forward. She progressed through school and wasn't held back.  

It was a season. Yes, we developed a relationship and a lifelong friendship, but it was a defined period of time. This taught me about encouraging people - maybe for just three months you can step in and help lift somebody up, and it can have a lifelong impact when you're doing it for the right reasons.  

In today's political landscape, I think a lot of people are overwhelmed and feel like there's too much going on. But I think if we remember that, in a good way, you're like one grain of sand in a whole beach of people that can make an impact. Don't try to focus on everything, just focus on one or two things that you're drawn to. Yashira was one girl out of thousands of students in the Hartford Public School system, and she went on to work in a community education role, impacting students herself. We're here to help work together, but what that looks like is sometimes very small. No one person can tackle the whole thing."

Community and mentorship are so important.  Is there a particular person or persons that you’ve drawn inspiration from over the years?

"Honestly, much of my inspiration comes from the younger generations. It's a bit unexpected, because typically we think of inspiration flowing from older to younger, but they truly inspire me. Often, the choices we're making in our generation directly affect them, yet they constantly teach me how to look at things differently, how to be bolder, and why these things matter.

I think the next generation doesn't get enough credit. There's this narrative that we as adults are paving the path, but frequently what young people are doing inspires me to keep using my voice and to keep speaking up.

I could point to specific mentors within different spaces of my work, but what really drives me is wanting to leave this world in a better place for that next generation. I want to do things that inspire them to continue challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers so that progress continues. It's a little different because it's not an older mentor figure, but it’s definitely one of my biggest inspirations.

And, it may sound a little Kumbaya, but wherever you can bridge unity in thought, that's valuable. I think people are sometimes afraid of that.  They have their opinion and don't want it challenged. But that's something I really value. Especially with youth, that's what drives me to serve on the Board of Education. Yes, the health and equity issues are important, but I also want to make sure the kids in my town have the tools and resources they need to make this world a better place. Because if they don't - and we could go deep on this - if their social, emotional skills aren't developed or supported, they won't be able to focus on how to make a positive impact on these larger issues."

With regards to a specific person, "Yvette Young, who's a coworker of mine at The Village, has been a tremendous inspiration. She's the person I turned to when I first had the ShopBlackCT idea. She's been such a powerful advocate and voice for people in under-resourced communities, especially within the Black community, in so many ways.

She's really mentored me, guided me, and believed in my role and in this initiative. She's helped encourage me in being an effective ally. She's shown me how to be brave in the face of adversity. As a woman of color, I'm always amazed by her ability to navigate different situations within that space, but also her willingness to turn to someone who's not a person of color and say, 'Hey, this is how you can help,' in a way that's sensitive, helpful, and resourceful.

She's definitely someone who has influenced me significantly and helped me grow both personally and professionally."

What advice would you offer the woman with a whisper in her heart to lean deeper into her power?  

"Women are incredible beings. Someone once told me, and I'm sure we could find the statistic, that women are much less likely to step up into leadership or advocacy roles until they have all the information and all the pieces in place, whereas our male counterparts are more likely to just step out and figure it out as they go. I think that speaks to us women wanting to do things well and do it 'right,' whatever that means.

But I think women need to remember that we can't do it all. We're often asked to do it all—be friends, career women, and fulfill many different roles. Don't let the feeling that you have to do everything perfectly hold you back from taking one step toward making some kind of change. And then lean on one another.

I think sometimes we become isolated because we're trying to get something done or juggling so many things. We don't always lean into other women or people in the community to do these things together. That's why I go back to Yvette, another woman with a lot on her plate. But together, we've been able to move that initiative forward.

So I would say, don't let the feeling that you have to do everything all at once, perfectly well, keep you from taking at least one step to fulfill what's being put on your heart. I fully believe that everyone has a gift to contribute, whether it's for a short season or a long time.

People are ready, willing, and wanting to join forces. Sometimes it just takes someone to make that first move."