All three Boys Town Florida sites recently gathered at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee to celebrate and participate in Children's Week Florida.
Children's Week is the only annual event held in the state that celebrates and honors its commitment to children, youth, and advocates. During the week-long celebration, Boys Town had a booth set up at the Capitol building representing all three sites and staff and children were able to participate in events.
Executive Directors from the three Florida sites were able to meet with legislatures to discuss Boys Town services and the importance of high-quality residential care. Legislatures and their delegates were also educated on the LIFT Together initiative and the opportunities Florida has with all three sites working together to bring the program to the state. It would bring together educators, students, families, and Boys Town experts to address every student's social-emotional needs.
"It is important to leverage the strength of all three Florida sites to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and families and we're grateful to be able to come together to do just that," said Bethany Lacey, Executive Director for Boys Town South Florida.
While in Tallahassee, Boys Town Central Florida's Executive Director Laurie Stern was able to tour the North Florida site and meet the staff who works there. "I was excited to be able to come to Tallahassee and participate in Children's Week to represent Boys Town Florida and the life-saving work we are doing across the state," said Laurie.
"We were excited to host the other two Florida sites here and have representation from the whole state as we met with our legislative delegates to advocate for the children and families we serve," said Boys Town North Florida Executive Director Marcus Lampkin.