***This Episode***
In this episode of Civically Grown, Sarah Kelley, CEO of Set Free (setfreealliance.org), shares how the organization is transforming lives by rescuing over 100,000 children from slavery and expanding access to clean water and medical care around the world.
Sarah reflects on how church leadership, Clemson rugby, and a challenging week at Asbury Hills summer camp shaped her into a flexible servant leader. She also discusses moving beyond perfectionism and micromanagement to trust her team and lead through others.
The conversation explores the connection between unsafe water, medical debt, and child slavery, as well as how Set Free’s local partners rescue children from rock quarries and help them rebuild trust, autonomy, and hope.
Sarah also explains why leaders need trusted communities where they can be vulnerable and supported. She describes her leadership as an oak tree, rooted in strong values, investment in people, and steadiness.
In this episode, you will hear about:
- How Sarah’s youth experiences shaped her servant leadership
- Why empowering others makes organizations stronger
- The connection between medical debt and child slavery
- How rescued children begin rebuilding trust and hope
- Why leaders need community, vulnerability, and accountability
- Why Sarah describes her leadership as an oak tree
***Guest Bio***
Sarah Kelley is a Greenville, South Carolina native with a passion for people, the outdoors, and sharing the love of Jesus. After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Philosophy, she began her ministry journey at Asbury Hills, a Christian summer camp in Upstate South Carolina, where she developed a foundation for leadership, service, and faith that continues to shape her work today.
As CEO of Set Free, a Greenville-based nonprofit organization, Sarah leads efforts to rescue children from slavery, provide access to clean water and medical care, and plant churches across Southeast Asia, West Africa, and beyond.
Under her leadership, the organization has recently reached major milestones, including 100,000 children rescued from slavery and 1,000 wells drilled in Southeast Asia by 2025. In spring 2025, Set Free funded one of the organization's largest rescues, freeing 4,898 children enslaved in rock quarries.
When she’s not traveling overseas, or meeting with donors, Sarah enjoys spending time with her firefighter husband, Robbie, and their two children, Sawyer and Emerson. Sarah is an avid reader, completing more than 100 books each year, continually seeking growth, wisdom, and fresh perspective in both life and leadership.
***Show Host***
Dr. Shaniece Criss
***About The Podcast***
From youth leadership to enduring community impact, Civically Grown highlights changemakers who have turned early civic action into meaningful legacies. A new episode is released monthly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms: https://civicallygrown.captivate.fm/.
#CivicallyGrown #Leadership #ChildSlavery #ServantLeadership #NonprofitLeadership
