Debarah McFarland founded the non-profit Dream Girls Academy in 2013 and has held a professional career in public service for decades. She is a former county employee for 16 years, served as director for a youth development facility, and is now working in the Champaign Fire Department where is responsible for updating the master calendar, operations manual, electronic filing, and department-wide conference meetings. She also provides Life Safety support, is the Risk Watch scheduler, and plans the walk-out retirement and promotion ceremonies for all personnel. She loves the opportunity to assist citizens of Champaign with requests for fire reports, Freedom of Information Act requests, and Knox Box orders to support emergency entry. Debarah believes these duties empower her to better serve the women, young ladies, and families of Dream Girls Academy through mentoring, life coaching, family advocacy, and community collaboration.