Sherry Coutain Of Horry County Receives The Murray L. Vincent Outstanding Prevention Professional Award

Sherry Coutain was awarded the 2020 Murray L. Vincent Outstanding Prevention Professional award. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the award was presented at a small gathering at Riverfront Park in Conway, South Carolina. Coutain will be recognized alongside the 2021 recipient at Fact Forward’s Annual Conference, Summer Institute 2021.

Coutain is the Family Life Educator at Family Outreach of Horry County. Coutain began working with Family Outreach in 1993 and helped develop one of the first teen pregnancy prevention programs in South Carolina. She is currently working with pregnant and parenting teens and young adults to help prevent repeat pregnancies. She has completed numerous training courses in Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Teen Pregnancy and Parenting. She implemented the Great to Wait in the Horry County School District and has been teaching this program for over 10 years in all Horry County Middle Schools. Coutain works with Family Outreach’s Parents on Point Program that works with pregnant and parenting teenagers in teaching positive parenting skills and working to reduce repeat pregnancies. She teaches a three-class course in childbirth and infant care to expectant teen mothers. Countain’s knowledge and experience is well known throughout South Carolina and she is a recognized expert in the field of teen pregnancy.

The Murray L. Vincent Outstanding Prevention Professional Award is the highest and most distinguished award given by Fact Forward. In honor of Dr. Murray Vincent, the award recognizes an individual who has significantly impacted the prevention of adolescent pregnancy in South Carolina while exemplifying the characteristics of the award’s namesake.

Like Dr. Vincent, Coutain is dedicated to ensuring that all young people in South Carolina receive high-quality, comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education. According to her nominator and Family Outreach of Horry County’s Executive Director Susan Caterbury, “Sherry has always been the first to receive new training and to use her new knowledge to teach young people. She has been instrumental in ensuring Family Outreach has a great partnership with Horry County Schools to make sure students receive high quality, comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education.”

For additional information about the Murray L. Vincent Outstanding Prevention Professional Award or Summer Institute, visit https://www.factforward.org/education-and-training/conferences/summer-institute.