Children, youth advocates honored with leadership award
♦ ‘Coffee with the Commission’ celebrates the work of local social service organizations.
Mallory Rogers and Christina Haynes were honored separately Wednesday with the George Pullen Community Leadership Award.
The awards took place during “Coffee with the Commission,” the annual meeting of the Rome-floyd County Commission on Children and Youth.
Executive Director Ladonna Collins explained the coffee concept reflected the many different blends that come together to make the perfect flavor fit for Floyd County’s services for children.
The program was conducted virtually with more than 100 representatives of agencies that provide services to children across the community participating.
Floyd County Sheriff Dave Roberson presented the Youth Leadership Award to Rogers — a Rome High School senior — for her many efforts to register young voters during the past year.
“She organized a cohort of students passionate about making democracy work,” Roberson said. She also started the League of Young Voters at Rome High and encouraged youth to be poll workers.
“I want to thank you for all of the opportunities Floyd County has given me to be involved,” Rogers said. “It was really an awesome time this summer.”
City Commissioner Sundai Stevenson presented the Pullen Adult Leadership Award to Haynes.
Haynes has been a peer advocate for group parenting classes that focus on birth parents seeking to become reunited with their children. She’s volunteered more than 100 hours through Restoration Rome to lead those classes.
At the end of 2020, the number of children from Floyd County who are in foster care had been reduced to 223. The county currently has 34 host homes for foster children, with 14 more in the certification process.
Collins also recapped the efforts of the 2020 minigrant program, which distributed more than $7,500 to half a dozen agencies for youth programming.
Lovejoy Community Services received $1,000 for its summer academic enhancement program. The COVID-19 pandemic put that program on hold so Collins said those funds will be rolled into 2021. First Readers of Floyd County received $1,400, which was used to distribute electronic books to children last year.
The Exchange Club Family Resource Center netted $1,225 for its in-home family services, the Ruth and Naomi House received $1,275 for a Mothers Mentoring Mothers project, Tallatoona Head Start got $1,250 for the distribution of books while Restoration Rome received $1,275 for its Trust Based Relational Intervention program.
“As a community we have worked together and collaborated to make Floyd County what it is today,” Collins said.
R-FCCCY President Chairman Greg Wooten ended the meeting by passing the gavel to Christa Gilmore, a youth development coordinator for the Northwest Georgia Public Health District. Gilmore will serve as board president during 2021.
Gilmore thanked the plethora of volunteers who have been forced to find creative ways to serve children during the past year.
“I look forward to better days ahead,” Gilmore said.