Built from the inside.
By someone who never left.
Thirty years in the room where it happens.
Guardian's Heart was not created in a boardroom or a lab. It was created in courtrooms, hospital hallways, foster homes, and family visits, by someone who has spent over three decades fighting for children who needed someone in their corner.
Meet the Founder
Lenzene "Len" Rufus, MBA
Guardian Ad Litem County Director · Qualified Mental Health Professional · BSW, SC State University · MBA, University of Phoenix
Lenzene "Len" Rufus grew up on a farm in the rural Shiloh community of Sumter County, South Carolina, where hard work and education were not suggestions, they were the foundation of everything. Her mother Silvia's quiet strength shaped her entire being. Her father Charles instilled a relentless work ethic and the belief that education was non-negotiable. Those roots have never left her.
Len began her career in 1995 as a Residential Counselor working with youth, then became a Certified Adoption Specialist preparing children and families for adoption and providing birth parent services. She went on to become a Foster Care Social Worker, a Foster Care Licensing Supervisor, a statewide Behavioral Health Program Director overseeing seven office locations and 130+ contract employees, and a therapeutic foster care program manager. For seven years she was also a licensed therapeutic foster parent, providing long-term care for six children, short-term placements for three more, and respite care for several others. Her son DJ grew up with foster siblings, learning early that family is built, not just born.
It was during her time as a foster care social worker that she met Ashley, a young woman on her caseload with nowhere to go. When Ashley turned 18 and aged out of care, Len became licensed as a therapeutic foster parent specifically so Ashley would have somewhere to land. Ashley's mother passed away while she was placed with Len. Together they navigated grief, cremation arrangements, and the terrifying reality of young adulthood with no family safety net. Len has never forgotten what it feels like to be the only person standing in the gap.
Today, with over 30 years in child welfare and human services, Len serves as Guardian Ad Litem County Director overseeing Sumter, Lee, and Williamsburg Counties, managing teams, training volunteers, and advocating for children in family court. She is also Board Chair of Shiloh Project LIFT, a rural nonprofit advancing education and opportunity in South Carolina. Guardian's Heart is her life's work, every tool, every portal, every word on this site comes from thirty years of being in the room.
Jackie Hennigan Gadsden
There are people who enter your life for a season, and there are people who help shape the person you become.
Early in my social work career, I had the privilege of working alongside Jackie Hennigan Gadsden, a gifted social worker, author, trainer, and mentor whose influence continues to impact my work today.
Jackie saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself. She gave me opportunities to grow, challenged me to think differently, and helped me develop skills and confidence I didn't know I possessed. More importantly, she taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my career: the difference between being a caseworker and becoming a social worker.
She showed me that true social work is more than managing cases, completing paperwork, or meeting deadlines. It is about seeing the whole person, recognizing their strengths, understanding their story, and walking alongside them with compassion, dignity, and purpose.
Many of the values that guide Guardian's Heart today, including the belief in human potential, the importance of trauma-informed care, and the commitment to meeting people where they are, were reinforced through the lessons Jackie shared with me throughout my professional journey.
I am deeply grateful for her mentorship, her example, and her belief in me. Her impact lives on not only in my work, but in every child, family, caregiver, and community member I have the privilege to serve.
Thank you, Jackie, for helping me become the social worker and the leader I am today.
There is a boy named Damon who made this possible.
Damon came into this world facing more than most, born with serious health challenges including kidney failure requiring dialysis. He became part of Len's extended family at birth and was adopted by her first cousin. Despite everything his body faced, his spirit was unstoppable.
He ran hospital hallways pushing his own wheelchair after dialysis treatments, laughing the whole way. He knew every nurse by name. He knew exactly what medications he needed and when. He instructed his own medical team with calm authority. He was eleven years old and he moved through the world like someone twice his age, full of joy, full of fight, full of light.
He passed away in 2003. He was eleven years old. Damon's Corner exists because of him, every calming tool, every breathing exercise, every moment a child feels seen in this space carries his name and his spirit forward.
Even on the hardest days, Damon ran. This entire ecosystem exists so no child ever has to run alone.
Thirty years became one mission.
Began career as Residential Counselor working with youth in Orangeburg, SC
Certified Adoption Specialist, preparing children and families, providing birth parent services
Foster Care Social Worker III, advocating for children in Gaston County, NC
Licensed therapeutic foster parent for 7 years, 6 long-term placements, 3 short-term, multiple respite
Foster Care Licensing Supervisor and statewide Behavioral Health Director, 7 offices, 130+ contractors
Returned to South Carolina, continued trauma-informed program leadership
Appointed Guardian Ad Litem County Director, Sumter, Lee, and Williamsburg Counties
Founded Guardian's Heart™, Trauma-Informed Compassion In Action
After thirty years, I realized the system kept asking children and caregivers to heal, with almost no support between appointments. Guardian's Heart is my answer to that.
, Lenzene "Len" Rufus, Founder
The foundation behind the work.
Education
BSW, South Carolina State University · MBA, University of Phoenix
Clinical Credentials
Qualified Mental Health Professional · Family Development Credential Instructor, University of Connecticut
Child Welfare
Guardian Ad Litem County Director · Certified Adoption Specialist · Foster Care Social Worker III · Therapeutic Foster Parent
Community Leadership
Board Chair, Shiloh Project LIFT · Midlands Fatherhood Coalition · Darkness to Light · Interagency Child Abuse Prevention Council · Managing Member, Premiere Mobile Compliance LLC (PMC) · Founder, On the Right Track (OTRT) Youth Initiative
Thirty Years In The Room.
One Mission Moving Forward.
After more than three decades serving children and families in foster care, adoption, behavioral health, and child welfare, one truth remains clear:
Children need support long after appointments end.
Guardian's Heart was created to bridge that gap.
We are building a trauma-informed ecosystem of digital tools, resources, and support experiences designed to help children, caregivers, and families navigate life's hardest moments with greater connection, confidence, and hope.
We are actively seeking conversations with foundations, community organizations, researchers, advocates, child welfare leaders, and supporters who share our vision for healing-centered innovation and accessible support for every child.
Together, we can create tools that help children feel seen, supported, connected, and understood, wherever they are.
Every portal.
Every tool.
Every story.
Built from experience.
Built with purpose.
Built for children.
info@guardiansheart.com