Editorial

From the Desk of Gaye Morris Smith
Executive Director

Welcome to this issue of Connected, which focuses on strong families. Family Connection is about children and families. In October community and state collaborative partners came together at our biennial conference in Jekyll Island to reconnect and build bridges. We came away reenergized with new knowledge, ideas and strategies and reaffirmed with an even stronger commitment to collaborating and measuring results. We thank all participants and supporters for making this conference such a huge success.

But as we move rapidly toward the 2004 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, we face critical challenges ahead in our work on behalf of children and families. Let's not forget that tough economic times call for community collaboration and public/private partnerships more than ever.

Family Connection was born during hard times. And we can and do make a difference for families in our communities statewide, even in tough fiscal times. Here is how it happens:

• We provide the community a voice to minimize the negative impact of a reduction in state resources. We provide the vehicle that ensures that collaboration and measuring results remain keys to improving outcomes for children.
  
  
• We are not programs but organizations through which partners work together to address and resolve the unique challenges facing a community.
  
  
• We are acknowledged problem solvers. We are increasingly being recognized by local governments, state agencies, foundations, and the federal government as the vehicle to organize the community to tackle difficult social problems.
  
  
• We document results. We assess community needs, set baselines and objectives, plan strategically to achieve the objectives, collect data and report results — by county, region and district.
  
  
• We help individuals by the tens of thousands. We are a statewide network of 159 Georgia counties. More than 3,000 collaborative members work together in their local communities, statewide and nationally to build a better future for our communities in Georgia. Those partners, in turn, reach thousands of children and families.
  
  
• We are not part of the budget problem; we are part of the budget solution. Through the community strategic plan we capture the essential broad-based support required to leverage additional resources. We attract local, state, federal, and private dollars. In FY03, with Georgia's investment of $10.3 million in Family Connection, we leveraged an additional $32.4 million from other resources. We invest this funding in programs and activities that have shown success in improving results.

As we move into the holiday season, let's continue to celebrate Georgia's families. We must not forget the common vision and commitment we share. Our work may be challenging but together we can build a better tomorrow for our families.