Evolve or become irrelevant.

That is the reality for countless organizations across Northeast Florida, and particularly those in our nonprofit community.

But it’s one that the Children’s Home Society of Florida has eagerly embraced.

“So much of our work has been crisis-oriented — it has been about restoring (children and families that have been) broken and catching them as they fall,” Michael Shaver, CEO of the Children’s Home Society, recently told the Times-Union Editorial Board.

But we decided to revisit our vision and mission and ask our ourselves a lot of questions,” Shaver added.

“Why can’t we also focus on investing in the potential of children before there is a crisis? Instead of being seen as caretakers for families, why can’t we be seen as partners with them? What’s stopping us from building bridges for kids and their families to have brighter futures, instead of having our role defined as responding after the bridges have been damaged?”

In short, Shaver said, the nonprofit needed to be more proactive — and less reactive.

And there are already promising indications that the Children’s Home Society evolution is making a real impact.

Last year, the agency joined up with the Duval County Public Schools, the University of North Florida and the Agape Community Health Network to launch the Community Partnership School Initiative, an effort to address the daily challenges facing local kids and families early on.

The partnership has led to a pilot program at Edward White High School that provides students with a wide range of services, including a mental health therapist who works full-time in the school.

In the year since the program began:

  • The number of physical altercations inside Edward White High have dramatically decreased.
  •  The number of disciplinary referrals dropped from over 2,000 throughout the 2015-16 school year to under 1,000 during the 2016-17 academic term.
  •  The number of after-school programs to keep students engaged in constructive activities has more than tripled.
  •  There has been an increase in the number of parents involved in school programs — and many are now taking advantage of a parent resource center that provides support and outreach.
  •  The number of students signing up to participate in the school’s Student Leadership Council jumped from 17 to 30 in a matter of months.

Those are just some of the impressive metrics that are being racked up at Edward White High.

And it is inspiring progress that has been largely driven by the Children’s Home Society’s willingness to evolve and adapt.

In a recent Times-Union guest column, Jessie Ball duPont Fund CEO Sherry Magill wrote that “community organizations must anticipate change, help their constituents and donors understand change and position their nonprofits for success in an uncertain future.”

The Children’s Home Society of Florida is providing an encouraging blueprint on how to take on that daunting task.

Originally posted by: Jacksonville.com