Since 1976, February has been designated as Black History Month, a time to celebrate and explore influential Black figures who’ve shaped our country through the years. While it’s important to remember and recognize those who’ve made a difference in the past, let us also celebrate our “do gooders” of today… our impactful Black team members creating history right now for the kids and families we serve.

Here are a few team members who were nominated by their peers for creating an impact that matters:

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
I believe that each life choice creates a ripple in time. So if something I say or do each day can positively change one person’s choice, then that day I have made a difference in the world.

2. What led you to your role initially?
I came to CHS because I wanted to create a better world for my daughter, who at that time was 6 years old. Knowing that children are our future, the best place to do that was with an organization whose main focus was to improve the lives of children. That is why I chose CHS then and now.  I can’t think of any other place I would rather work.

3. If you met “Hallie” on her first day with CHS, what advice would you give her?
The advice I would give myself on my first day would be: Always remember you are here for the children.  Be open-minded, open to change, empathetic, compassionate, service-oriented, but above all be humble.

4. What is the favorite part of your role?
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing positive changes in parent’s lives and, of course, the smiles and laughter of children.

5. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with CHS?
I have so many good memories that it’s hard to pick one.  However, the moment that comes to mind first is when a client that I had been working with, who I thought was dismissing all information and assistance I had offered, came to me and thanked me.  She stated that it was because of what she had learned from me that she left an abusive relationship and was focusing on creating a better life for her children and herself. And that the workshops that we had done, had given her the tools to do that.

6. Who do you admire most and why?
The person I most admire the most is my father.  It is because of him and the lessons he taught me that I am the person I am today.  His insistence that ‘there is no such thing as I can’t if I want it bad enough’. When approaching an endeavor for something I want he’d say, ‘You must know without a shadow of a doubt that you deserve it’ and that ‘if I was going to do it, do it right’.

That truth and honesty will always prevail. I know that the choices I make will always affect someone else, so make the right ones.

7. What do you want to be remembered for most? What impact do you hope to leave behind?
I want to be remembered for my love for people and my desire to help someone.  Through my poems and plays, I want to be remembered as someone who inspired Hopes and Dreams.  My Life’s Motto is:  “I Aspire To Inspire Before I Expire”.

1. What led you to pursue a career in mental health counseling?
I love seeing people live full, skillful lives. I’m an enneagram 1, so if there’s a ‘right way’ to do life, I want to find it and help people maximize their lives. I’m fascinated by how people, family systems, and communities work for the better or worse, so social work really became an avenue to help people heal and live fully.

2. What advice would you share with someone on their first day for remaining calm in the midst of the day-to-day of your role?
I have to remind myself that I cannot “fix” or “heal” anyone—I’m merely a facilitator in a process that kiddos and parents have to be willing and ready to engage in. I also have to remind myself of boundaries—their life is not mine, and I am only responsible for and have control over my choices and decisions. That helps keep me out of the savior mentality or taking on fixing everyone’s life.

3. Who is someone you admire most?
My Mom! That woman is fierce and diligent and tender. She is amazing at knowing when to be what and to whom. I’ve watched her grow and evolve over my lifetime and it’s helped me accept that I am forever in the process of becoming.

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
My drive is waking up every morning making a difference being an agent of change in the community with a great team.  I believe that change starts with individuals.  I am challenged daily and inspired to continue to grow in excellence as a Clinician building my career in this life-changing company.  It brings me joy when I hear from families that our teens served coming to us in disarray and then leaving healed.  I enjoy working for a company that is community-oriented, at CHS I know I am given back to my community through a mission bigger than myself.”

2. What led you to your role initially?
I think my path to CHS began during my upbringing in the inner city.  I faced a lot of adversity and challenges while rising above my circumstances.  As a child, I learned early transitioning can cause a lot of anxiety. I overcame these feelings by participating in the youth centers in my community near me.  These centers provided positive mentoring programs which gave me tools to communicate and share my personal stories.  This fueled my passion to understand deeper the developmental process of children. After learning about the CHS mission to serve children and families, I knew that I just had to work at this great company.

3. Who do you admire most and why?
The two people I admire the most are my parents. I admired my father for his servitude and work ethic. From him, I have learned not to be afraid of hard work. His life’s motto was, “ We are created to serve and help anyone in need”. I admire my mother’s perseverance and tenacity to acquire her bachelor’s degree while taking care of her husband, six children, going to college full time, and holding a full-time job. I have learned from my mom to always do my best, and never half step.

4. What do you want to be remembered for most? What impact do you hope to leave behind?
I would like to be remembered for being someone that invoked change while mastering the power of human connections. I want it to be said that I was a dreamer, one who believed all things are possible and who used her smile to change the world!

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
There is nothing more refreshing than waking up every day and knowing you have a purpose. When I look at the big picture of CHS, it clearly outlines why I love the work we do for children so much. For over 27 years I have committed my journey to help others. CHS fits well into my mission for my life.

2. What led you to your role initially?
For years I worked peripherally with CHS. I have to say that I always admired the work of CHS and I envisioned working at CHS. Helping children to reach their greatest potential is a personal professional goal of mine and CHS genuinely fits what I believe in.

3. What would you tell a new CHS team member on their very first day?
First, I would give them a warm CHS welcome and let her know that they made the right decision to join our CHS family! I would also let them know that CHS will wrap their support around them and help them succeed. I’d give them the same advice that others have given me…. “Always remember that it is a marathon, and not a sprint.”

4. What is the favorite part of your role?
I love supporting and leading my team in The Greater Northeast. Each day brings us closer to helping a child to reach their potential. Being creative and coming up with ideas to execute improvement is an amazing feeling. I celebrate all wins for my team and encourage them when times are a little tough.

5. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with CHS?
Although my time hasn’t been that long with CHS, I would have to say that my favorite memory would be my first day at CHS. It was interesting starting a job in this virtual space. I must’ve had a ton of Zoom meetings and introductions. Everyone was so kind and had smiles on their faces at every meeting I attended. That made me feel welcomed and the actions of the CHS team members secured my thoughts about making the right decision to join an amazing organization and team.

6. Who do you admire most and why?
I admired my grandfather who is no longer with us. He was a kind and resilient man who provided for his family.

He was wise, brilliant and had great people skills. My grandfather was liked and respected by many. He was a man of his word and I never once saw him complain. He made things happen and had away about leading others to work together. Even when he retired, he woke up every morning and gave his time to others.

7. What do you want to be remembered for most? What impact do you hope to leave behind?
I want to be remembered for being a fair, trust worthy and honest person.

Being a motivator to encourage and to inspire everyone to reach beyond what they think their greatest potential is. I want people to imagine themselves being happy and operating in excellence. I want people to say “Ernie is someone who never saw the glass empty but the glass half full. I hope that I leave a legacy that will inspire generations that proceed me.

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
#MyCHSWhy is the opportunity to be a part of something greater than me in the services we provide to our children and families. Although I am no longer in direct communication with those we serve, I enjoy being supportive and providing resources to the clinicians to ensure they have what they need and can serve our community in the best possible way.

2. What led you to your role initially?
I was a case manager for 10 years before this role. The more I worked with individuals, the more my vision and goals became broader. I wanted to help on a larger scale and to do so I felt I needed to move into a supervisory role to get more experience. I saw an opportunity to join an organization putting in the work to “Do Good” in our communities, so I seized the opportunity. A great decision for me as I continue to pursue my goals. I want to be a part of the change, creating plans to ensure access to resources for all. These changes will come from my growth in leadership skills, opportunities to learn strategic planning,  processes, policies, financials, and having conversations with decision-makers to gain insight into the “Big Picture”, all of which I’ve been able to do at CHS.

3. If you met “Bianca” on her first day with CHS, what advice would you give her?
Always be true to yourself and your values. Be the constant positive light, it’s impactful!

4. What is the favorite part of your role?
I get to support our team, encourage growth in areas of improvement, and celebrate victories…great and small 🙂

5. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with CHS?
I love our local Employee Appreciation Week each year. Every day included an activity focused on being our happiest and healthiest selves. The team scavenger hunts created laughter, memories, and friendships that will last forever.

6. Who do you admire most and why?
I admire anyone willing to do what’s right because it’s right. Any individual that has overcome obstacles and uses their story to inspire and be a strength to others.

7. What do you want to be remembered for most?
For being a kind, compassionate person with a heart to serve.

8. What impact do you hope to leave behind?
I want others to feel and know the love of God through my words and actions. I want to inspire and empower others to be the change, be a reflection of what they want to see in the world, dream big, and go for what they want while being their authentic self.

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
Working in this field has allowed me to provide direct service, conduct research, provide support at the supervisory level and advocate for families and my team at CHS. The overall emotional and physical demands placed on me have emphasized levels of personal resilience and skills that I never knew I had or was capable of achieving. Working in this role has equipped me for other hardships that have come my way and the ability I had to work through them amazed me. I’ve developed a high level of emotional intelligence and perceptive skills that I never thought possible. These skills have helped me cultivate and become the best version of myself that I can be. That is what continues to fuel me daily. Knowing that with each new day I learn a little bit more about myself through my service of others.

2. What led you to your role initially?
I was going to school for my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and as part of the curriculum, I needed an internship where I could counsel and mentor others. So I applied as a DCMT at Children’s Home Society of Florida and I’ve been hooked ever since.

3. If you met “Ebonye” on her first day with CHS, what advice would you give her?
I would tell her stress and challenges are going to be consistent in this job but don’t focus on that. Focus on the solutions. Focus on the impact that you will make in a child or a family’s life and focus on your role as a leader, mentor, and advocate for the people you serve. That focus is where you will understand how vital and necessary you are to this field and CHS.

4. What is the favorite part of your role?
My favorite part is being a leader and mentor for my staff. I envision a world where everyone feels inspired. To contribute to this vision, I help my team grow so that they can reach their full potential. It’s very rewarding to see someone’s skills and be able to help them develop their skills while supporting them as well.

5. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with CHS?
My favorite memory is being together with my co-workers just laughing and enjoying each other’s company in the office at random times. The bond you develop working with like-minded individuals is something that can’t be put into words. It’s like working with your eccentric, sometimes quirky, extended family.

6. Who do you admire most and why?
The person that inspires me the most is my son. Just seeing the smile on his face when he is being silly, or making a corny joke, or just asking for a hug during an important Zoom meeting reminds me to appreciate the small things that life offers.  He inspires me to be the best me I can be.

7. What do you want to be remembered for most? What impact do you hope to leave behind?
I’d like to be remembered for the role that I played in advocacy for child welfare workers. I want to be a voice for getting others involved in this field and advocating for better for child welfare workers.

1. What is your #MyCHSWhy… the thing that fuels you in your role every day?
I’m driven by my belief that everyone has the potential to succeed in life.

2. What led you to your role initially?
I was led to my role by my passion for the underserved. Through Youth Works, we are able to empower young adults to take on their next chapter. I’m honored to be a part of their future.

3. If you met “Phyllis” on her first day with CHS, what advice would you give her?
Take advantage of every opportunity. Do not be afraid to fail.

4. What is the favorite part of your role?
I love having the opportunity to work directly with youth in a grassroots way. It’s empowering to me to know I am making a direct difference in my community.

5. Do you have a favorite memory from your time with CHS?
I have 31 years of positive memories… it’s tough to choose just one. I have dedicated my life to the mission of CHS because I believe in the mission of our organization.

6. Who do you admire most and why?
CHS leadership has been on board with the current affairs of this era and is open to playing a positive role in seeing changes come about where every life matters. Our DEI efforts mean a lot to me and I’m proud of them.

7. What do you want to be remembered for most? What impact do you hope to leave behind?
That I treated our team, clients and everyone I interacted with with dignity and respect. I performed my duties at a high capacity 100% of the time. And that I made a difference in their life trajectory. After all, that’s what our GOOD is all about!