In this special year of celebration of the 110th anniversary of Florence Crittenton Services (FCS), I pause to reflect on my 30 plus years with this amazing organization. I started employment as a social worker and for the past 14 years have been honored to serve as the CEO.
Prior to my employment with FCS, I worked with young single pregnant and parenting teens in another state. Throughout that experience I encountered so many situations where the young women were in need of safety, support and hope. When I first walked through the doors of FCS, I felt the homelike atmosphere and it is what I would have envisioned for the many young lives I had encountered. As I continued my work at FCS, I have been able to see first hand what a difference it makes when a young pregnant woman has support, a safe place to live, resources and most importantly, someone who believes in them and their potential to have a better life. I have seen this carried through from young women who were my clients who are now professional women contributing to our society and who
have raised remarkable children who are also leading productive lives. The Crittenton experience is life changing for two generations. The other remarkable aspect of FCS that I take pride in is the responsiveness to changing needs as exemplified in Sarah’s House and Legacy Hall programs for teens in the foster care system and now our focus on assisting clients in healing from trauma.
Throughout my journey, I have met incredible, resilient young people and many very dedicated and committed volunteers, donors and staff who work tirelessly everyday to help us meet the needs of clients. I remain grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the FCS legacy of promoting health and hope for tomorrow’s children and hope that others who read these stories will join with us and invest in the potential and future success of our youth.
