Dear Florida Network Friends,

The recent weeks have been difficult for many due to Hurricane Irma's arrival in Florida, and we at the Network continue to wish safety and well-being to you and your loved ones as Florida  continues on the road to recovery. 
 
We'd like to extend a huge "thank you" to our shelter and facility staff that continued to serve youth and families before, during, and after the storm. I am truly touched by the compassion and dedication that our team continuously demonstrates, even in the face of a natural disaster. It is in times such as these that we are reminded of the incredible strength and resilience of our communities. May we come together as neighbors and friends to lift each other up and help one another to rebuild our beloved sunshine state.
 
With the beginning of autumn upon us and October's swift approach, I'd like to remind everyone that October is domestic violence awareness month. The Network has served many youth and families dealing with the effects of family violence and we strive to provide families with opportunities that facilitate growth and healing. This month, our focuses will be to extend compassion toward those who have suffered the effects of family violence and to raise awareness.
 
I hope that in the coming weeks you have encouragement and peace of mind while we all work together to begin recovery efforts.
 
Keep the faith,

Stacy Gromatski, Ed.S.
President and CEO
Florida Network of Youth and Family Services


LEGISLATIVE VISITS

As legislators visit our member agencies, we will be sharing their experiences with you via this e-newsletter and a blog post on our website. 

MIAMI BRIDGE YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES
(L-R): Florida Network Communications Coordinator Michelle Avaroma, Rep. Robert Asencio, Miami Bridge CEO Dorcas Wilcox, Miami Bridge Deputy CEO/CFO Steve Hope
August 21, 2017 - Rep. Robert Asencio (D - Miami Dade)  visited

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES 2017 CHILD PROTECTION SUMMIT


The Florida Network was proud to be a part of the Department of Children and Families 2017 Child Protection Summit! It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our colleagues who also serve Florida's children and families, and we had the opportunity to share information about our services and our amazing providers serving Florida's vulnerable youth and families. We enjoyed the breakout sessions and learning more about programs around the state.
2017 EXECUTIVE ADVISORY ROUNDTABLE RETREAT
The Florida Network Relay Winners From left to right: Shareet Pennino, Heather Prince, Tracy Salem, Greg Zbylut, Mark Wickham, JoAnn Rollins

The Florida Network's Executive Advisory team recently attended a three-day retreat to discuss the latest issues and challenges surrounding Florida's youth and families. The retreat featured various sessions and team building activities such as the Florida Network Relay! 
SUMMER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
  
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Assistant Secretary Alice Sims

Our team members attended the Summer Quality Improvement Committee Meeting and enjoyed breakout sessions, diving into topics like the Human Trafficking Screening Tool and the SNAP (Stop Now and Plan) Program. 

NOTEWORTHY NETWORK MEMBERS

   
Florida Keys Children's Shelter has both residential and non-residential services to guide and support children and families. They are dedicated to providing the best solutions for abused, abandoned or neglected children. Thank you for believing everyone deserves to shine!
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Lutheran Services Florida has programs located throughout the state including youth shelters, counseling services and guardianship services in the northeast, southeast and southwest. They continue to expand their programs to bring healing, hope and help to Floridians in need.
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Family Resources is a safe place for runaway and homeless teens when they have nowhere else to go. They have been an agency to turn to for crisis counseling since 1970. Thank you for all of your work!
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SMA Behavioral Services strives for family reunification by assisting youth and families in building communication skills and deeper relationships. We appreciate your services!  
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Meet Sherriff Don Eslinger, our board member of the month! He served 38 years with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. His career began in 1978 as a radio dispatcher and he advanced through the ranks as a patrol deputy, criminal investigator, special operations investigator, watch commander, special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team leader, task force agent for two tours with the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and returned as commander of the City/County Investigative Bureau. Sheriff Eslinger has held numerous positions on the boards of community and professional organizations. Read more about Sherriff Eslinger and our other hard-working board members  here .

#THENETWORKWORKS

During our 40th anniversary celebration in May 2017, we interviewed past staff and previous board members about their experiences at the Network. We appreciate their loyalty and dedication! 


 
Brian Dyak, a founder of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, was unfortunately unable to accompany us for our 40th Anniversary celebration, but in his absence, he wrote a historical addendum to share with the community! In his article, Dyak ventures back 40 years into the Florida Network's history and talks about the vision that our great organization was founded upon. Read the full article here!


MEMBER AGENCY AND SHELTER EVENTS

We're offering our members a spot in our newsletter for events. If you're one of our 29 agencies and 28 shelters and have an event coming up, email Michelle at [email protected] to be featured here.
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Recently, Lutheran Services of Florida's Lippman Youth Shelter held a Staff vs Youth competitive event which included some great recreational activities such as kick ball, flag football and a water balloon relay race! After the event they were treated to an outdoor barbeque dinner thanks to donations from Mr. Mcloud with New Dominon Worship Center and Mr. Grant with Pioneer Community Church. After a lengthy four hour event, the youth (red shirts) came out victorious over the staff (blue shirts). The winners received a gold trophy, and the MVP youth was rewarded with a MVP ribbon. Great job, everyone!
NEWS



Congratulations to our Program Services Director John Robertson on being selected to attend Georgetown University's 2017 Supporting LGBTQ Youth Certificate Program on October 17-20! The Florida Network is excited to see the amazing opportunities to assist LGBTQ youth that this course will provide for him in his continuing youth and family services career. Read more here.
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On August 6, the Gainesville Sun covered an important program run by CDS Family and Behavioral Health Services . The Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) program was brought to Florida two years ago and has served 54 boys in the Gainesville area, at the time of the report being published! Read more here.
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On July 31, the Space Coast Daily covered Florida Network's presentation of the Chairman's Leadership Award to Dr. Robert E. Lehton at our 40th Anniversary Celebration! Dr. Lehton is the Crosswinds Youth Services Board member and has worked diligently to better the lives of at-risk youth for over 43 years. Read more here.
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On September 5, the Orlando Sentinel covered the declining rates of juvenile arrests in Orange County, which is in part attributed to our introduction of the SNAP (Stop Now and Plan) program to the area. SNAP organizers expect juvenile arrest numbers to continue to decrease as its participants get older! Read more here.
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Congratulations to one of the greatest leaders we know, Florida Network President & CEO Stacy Gromatski! We are so proud of you for being accepted into Leadership Florida Cornerstone XXXVI! We can't wait to see how you continue to lead in helping at-risk youth and families in Florida!
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