CEO Message July 24, 2020
Collaborating to Fuel A System of Success
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. That ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” — Andrew Carnegie
This week our FCC and FCC Foundation boards convened for our summer board meetings and I have to say, I was “fueled” by the opportunity to convene and see — albeit via video conferencing — our leaders from around the state. The undeterred commitment to your communities and children and family around the state, despite the challenges that have been presented by an unprecedented public health crisis, is truly the fuel that keeps us going!
There are some additional challenges that our community of care is likely to face in the coming months but based on the discussions and resolute, collective commitment to our system of care that was reinforced during the board meetings this week, I know that we will tackle these challenges together and in a manner that produces the best possible outcomes for Florida’s children and families.
2020 Conference – Coming Together Virtually
Next week would have been the week we were all together in Orlando for the Coalition’s annual conference. Unfortunately, in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the health and safety recommendations about large gatherings, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel our in-person 2020 Annual Conference.
However, just like everyone has had to make some adjustments in light of COVID-19, we have adjusted a bit and developed some ways to still offer some of the trainings and do some of the celebrating that we usually do at our annual event.
First, we wanted to make sure we were still offering the training opportunities that would have been available at the annual conference — even if we had to do it virtually. To that end, a few weeks ago, on July 9th, we kicked off our new, virtual training sessions as part of our new and growing virtual Learning Community. In fact, we’re offering training throughout the remainder of 2020, with a variety of virtual training opportunities. These 90-minute sessions will feature presenters across our continuum of care and will highlight a variety of child well-being topics. You can find more information or register on our conference website.
Honoring Our Community of Helpers
And that’s not all. We also thought it was now, more important than ever, that we honor and celebrate the many helpers in Florida’s community of care with a virtual Awards Celebration later in August!
Our community is made up of extraordinary individuals who have dedicated their lives to giving back to their communities and improving the lives of Florida’s children and families Over the past several months, as a result of COVID-19,we have seen so many from within our community of care step up and lead in ways they could have never expected to be called upon.
They are colleagues, advocates, foster and adoptive parents, community partners, youth and so many others throughout Florida’s system of success. Stay tuned for more information and so you can tune into our virtual Awards Celebration in August!
The Path Forward
FCC leadership continues to engage with DCF and other policymakers daily as we continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on our system of care and our state, please continue to keep us updated on developments in your community, as it helps inform those conversations. We will continue to keep our members and partners apprised of any developments.
