Better Together honors community partners at appreciation event in Sarasota

SARASOTA, Fla. - June 21, 2023 - PRLog -- Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, recently honored members of Sarasota and Manatee counties who have gone above and beyond to serve the mission of Better Together.

"Our donors, volunteers, partners and supporters help families to overcome devastating crises and to rise up stronger than ever," said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. "While all of our supporters have a vital role in our success, we were honored to recognize several individuals and organizations for their tremendous generosity and support."

Better Together recognized supporters for their impact during the Doing Good Together appreciation reception held May 18 at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing. Honorees include:

• Host Family of the Year was presented to Christine and Mike Williams for hosting baby Jace for over a year. They showed their love and hospitality to his mother by purchasing and placing a camper on their property for her to live in while helping her transition.
• Doug Campbell Generosity Award was presented to Gold Coast Eagle Distributing for generously supporting Better Together and allowing Better Together to use its space for a variety of events, including the annual awards reception.
• Community Partner of the Year was presented to Manatee County Sheriff's Office for   helping local families stay out of foster care. The sheriff's office provided referrals of parents and cases to Better Together for support, championed Better Together's mentorship program, provided ride-alongs to Better Together staff and donated use of its office space weekly for the organization to host meetings and events.
• Church of the Year was presented to Crosspointe Church for partnering with Better Together for multiple events, connecting Better Together to local pastors groups to expand its reach, donating supplies and storage space, and allowing Better Together to utilize space for local events.
• Department of Children and Families Partner of the Year was presented to Anthony Miltich for always going the extra mile in helping community partners and making himself available whenever Better Together needs him.

Better Together is made up of two programs – Better Families and Better Jobs – that help parents who are going through a hard time to 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.

With the help of donors and hundreds of volunteers and church communities, Better Together builds lasting support systems that help families cope with hardships – such as job loss, substance abuse, homelessness and jail time – and ensures that children are cared for in a safe home until the family can be reunited. To date, the program has served over 5,400 children and kept 98% of families together, while helping 39,000 job seekers across 22 states find employment.