Published January 13, 2026
By LouMecia Staton, Community Relations Manager
“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.” -Author Unknown
Having the opportunity to work with and serve children and families is one of the greatest privileges in life. There may have been days in serving a family where we saw ourselves, knew what the family was facing because we had been there before. That feeling helped to drive our determination to find solutions, find help, and find someone who would serve as a connection to assist the family. In our state, you do not have to look far to find local family resource centers, Child Advocacy Centers, Smart Start agencies, early childhood centers, health centers, schools and more that are filled with staff and volunteers ready to serve. To kick off our 2026 series of Community Partner Spotlights, we are highlighting our partners at One Place, serving as a reliable source of connection, inspiration, and safety for families in need of their love and support.
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dawn Rochelle, Executive Director of One Place. With a heart of service, compassion and an innate discernment for the needs of children and families in the community, Ms. Rochelle and her wonderful team of staff, volunteers and their Board of Directors, have helped to grow the agency tremendously since their founding in 1998. The organization began with serving children ages 0-5 through Smart Start. This essential focus on the early years of a child’s development is truly a critical protective factor for families. As a Family Forward NC Certified Employer, they continue to focus on creating a trauma-informed space not just for the families that they serve but also for their staff. Whether an Onslow County family is looking for child care, Child Advocacy Center services, a local playgroup, or how to enroll their child in the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, One Place serves as an essential hub of support for families in Onslow County. Whether families are visiting their website or entering through their doors, their goal is to be that friendly, open, and warm place where hope can be found.
Onslow County is unique as it serves many of our military families in North Carolina. One Place works with military partners in the community to collaborate on services and to ensure that their programs and offerings continue to meet the needs of all families served in the county. While working with partners, they are constantly thinking about how they can continue to serve the community and make sure that the programs they offer are sustainable. Especially as families move and transition, their goal is to make sure they stay as a trusted and dependable source of support for families; no matter where their journey may lead them.
One of the many highlights of their work is that they are preparing to open their SECU Hope Center, which will allow them to serve even more families with expansion that includes two medical clinics and a child mental health clinic, expanding their services to meet the critical needs of child victims in the community. The environment of the new Center is a trauma-informed space and is uniquely designed to stand for years to come. To view a virtual tour of their new facility in progress, visit their website here: SECU Hope Center | One Place. As they continue to imagine how this new space can evolve over the next few years, Ms. Rochelle shared that even as a part of the vision for the new space, she also sees them being a more robust training partner with space to welcome both professionals, students and partners alike.
At PCANC, we are proud to have One Place as one of our many partners across North Carolina who are making a tremendous contribution and impact towards our children’s future. We are grateful to have their organization and members of their team as members of our Alliance family.
As for her team’s impact and plans for the future including on childcare, family services, access to resources and more, Dawn Rochelle, CEO states, “Our vision is rooted in sustainability, healing, and collective impact – because when families are supported early and holistically, communities thrive for generations.”
Learn more about One Place on their website, visit their Facebook, and follow them on Instagram.