Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, recently honored its Tampa-area volunteers, supporters and community partners who have made a significant impact on the organization and its mission.
As a privately funded, volunteer-driven nonprofit, Better Together relies on the support of donors, community partners and volunteers to provide its services to families across the state. Each year, Better Together hosts a series of Doing Good Together receptions in all six of its regions to honor and showcase the efforts of these individuals and organizations. Each honoree receives a specialized award, in the style of a prized baseball card, recognizing the recipient’s impact with Better Together.
Better Together recognized several honorees during the reception held Sept. 16 at the Tampa Bay Yacht & Country Club. Honorees include:
- Host Family of the Year was presented to Kelly Taylor and her family. She and her daughters welcomed children into their home to care for them while the children’s parents worked to get back on their feet.
- Community Partner of the Year was presented to the City of Tampa. The city’s Homeless Outreach Team works tirelessly to help individuals and families find housing, and their partnership has been invaluable to helping families build a stable foundation.
- Church Partner of the Year was presented to Northwest Church of Christ. Pastor Joel Harper empowers the congregation to serve the community with energy. The church is all in, from hosting job fairs and prayer night to last-minute team meetings.
- Department of Children and Families Partner of the Year was presented to Devonique Freeman. She creates a supportive and uplifting environment, even in the midst of challenging work. She is professional, knowledgeable and always quick to offer help.
- Mentor of the Year was presented to Shelevia Dawson. She lives with open hands and an open heart, always ready to help those in need.
- Super Volunteer of the Year was presented to Kerri Sheeran. She has mentored three moms and gone above and beyond for each of them.
- Staff Appreciation Award was presented to Madison Williams, Nancy Suriel, Viviane Kunak, Sophia Safford and Candice Chukes. The entire Tampa team went above and beyond this year, serving double the number of children over this time last year: 1,341 children.
“Our Better Together team is so grateful for the donors, volunteers, partners and advocates who stand in the gap and support us in fulfilling our mission,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “These groups and individuals are the reason we are able to transform lives and help our community flourish. It was an honor to recognize them for their generosity and unwavering support this year.”
This year’s Tampa Doing Good Together reception was sponsored by GTE Financial.
Better Together works to prevent the need for foster care by building strong families and communities. When a parent needs support – due to homelessness, a medical emergency, or other crisis – Better Together volunteer host families provide a safe, loving home for the children short term, while staff and mentors empower the parents to secure employment, housing and other needs. Because job loss is at the root of most family crises, the Better Together workforce program provides opportunities for all job seekers through relational job fairs and volunteer job coaches.
To date, Better Together has served more than 15,000 children, and 98% of children served through mentoring and hosting remain out of foster care. The nonprofit has also connected more than 45,600 job seekers to employment opportunities through church-based job fairs across 24 states.
Better Together is always seeking additional volunteers and community partners to join its efforts to build stronger families. To learn more about how to become a donor, partner or volunteer, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER
Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
