Anne Lynam Goddard had been on the job as the eighth president of Christian Children’s Fund (CCF) for only a few months when she received horrific news about her son, Colin. He was shot four times in French class at Virginia Tech in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Colin recovered, and the support he and his family received from Henrico County residents has inspired them.
“We were only here three months and my family didn’t know many people,” Anne Goddard said. “But I have to say, I felt adopted by the people in this community. The kindness they showed us, it really made me feel warm about the area.”
Goddard’s appointment marked the second time that a woman would lead CCF in its nearly 70-year history.
She tells the story of mailing her Peace Corps application years ago, and how she knew it would change her life. She was right. Since then, Goddard has worked in international development in five countries over a 26-year span.
Goddard sat down with Henrico magazine to discuss living and working abroad, her vision for CCF and how she met her husband in the middle of nowhere.
What was your initial reaction upon hearing about the opportunity to join Christian Children’s Fund as president and CEO?
A: Initially, I thought, “I’m very happy where I am, why would I leave?” But obviously, a CEO of an NGO (nongovernmental organization) was an enticing and challenging idea. CCF is an NGO I heard about and thought highly of. I liked the size of it and the child focus of it. I also liked the location—Henrico County.
Had you been in Henrico County previously?
Just for vacation to visit friends.
What did you think CCF did really well when you first considered accepting the position?
The more I learned about CCF, I was truly impressed with its vigorous approach to dealing with child poverty issues. The staff here had really done their homework. It was a well-researched and intellectual approach. It was not just a charity. It was based on solid research and theory on what would make a child’s life better. That was very important to me.
For the first four years of your career, you were a social worker. Did that help you build a foundation for what you do now?
I started as a child protection social worker, so I feel like I’m coming full circle.
You then moved on to the Peace Corps. Do you remember the circumstances of how you made that decision? Where you were? What you were thinking?
I remember it so well. I can still visualize it. I remember opening up the mailbox and dropping my application in. I remember standing there thinking: This will change my life.
My father told me a little bit of the Peace Corps came from him. My family is from Ireland. Back in the 1950s, Ireland’s economy was very bad. My parents, who had six kids then, are basically economic immigrants to the States. It is risky to migrate to a new country as it was a bit risky to join the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps sent you to Kenya. What was a highlight from your time in Kenya?
Other than dancing in the rain, I met my husband (Andrew) there. He was living in the same remote area and working for the British government. We got married in Nairobi. Actually, meeting him increased my desire to work overseas. I don’t know if I would have pursued working abroad as actively as I did if it wasn’t for him, because it was a very lonely existence when I was assigned to my village. I lived alone in a little mud hut. I was surrounded by a lot of things that were unfamiliar.
So your British husband went to Kenya to meet an Irish girl who was raised in America?
(laughing) I know, I know. It’s kind of funny.
