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Biennial
Conference Challenges Participants to Keep Our Work Fresh and Real
The conference theme was in response to Family Connection collaboratives and partners who reported that they needed tools to better equip their outreach and support across the state; to collaborate at a higher, more effective level; to implement useful community strategic plans; and to measure the progress and success in meeting community goals.
Inviting youth groups to participate in the conference has become a long standing tradition that we continued this year. Cub Scout Pack 750 presented the flags and led the pledge of allegiance at the opening session, and the Clarke Central High School Step Team literally kicked off the conference with an energizing performance.
The Wednesday opening session featured Milton Creagh who talked about the important challenges facing young people, families, and modern society and shared some of the factors that influenced him as a child. "I was required to do household chores, which instilled in me a strong work ethic," said Creagh. "I only received toys at Christmas, which taught me patience, and I was required to treat my elders with respect, which taught me to respect authority." Creagh challenged participants to set their own bar high so children can learn and grow into productive adults.
Ellen Hester served a double-helping of advice and humor as Florence Jean, the big-haired waitress, at Thursday's breakfast session. "We all know how to make mountains out of molehills," she said. "All we need to do is retool that technique to transform even the tiniest idea into peak results." One suggestion Ellen gave was to write down annoyances that are beyond our control and file them away. This simple act allows us to stop these molehills from growing into mountains so we can stay focused on what's important.
Randy Haveson closed out the conference by reflecting on the value of teamwork. He explored the elements of working together and how to effectively optimize each team member's ability effectively. "Leaders should utilize the resources and talents of all the group members, make use of the team's creative talent by encouraging learning from one another, and allow team members to help set goals and develop strategies for achieving these goals," said Haveson.
The most emotional moment of the conference occurred Wednesday evening during an exclusive viewing of the award-winning documentary "Darius Goes West." The film portrays Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, who had never left his hometown of Athens, Ga. until the summer of 2005 when he and a group of young college students traveled across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in America. Through the generosity of conference attendees and Family Connection Partnership matching those donations, Family Connection raised $6,000 to repair Darius' wheelchair, and toward Charley's Fund, an organization that funds the cure or treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The conference's extensive learning program featured 50 workshops in 10 subject areas designed for basic, intermediate, advanced, and all levels of experience. Workshop topics included personal and economic development, evaluation and results, marketing and public relations, and economic development.
The conference also provided a rare opportunity for Family Connection collaboratives and partners representing Georgia's 159 counties to network with each other. Networking opportunities included an ice cream social, table topics during the lunch session, and longer breaks. Those who needed to network with their offices took advantage of the Internet café in the exhibit hall. The exhibit hall provided plenty of tools for participants to help them improve their communities. Some of the 42 exhibitors offered services and resources to help strengthen children, families, and communities, while others representing statewide agencies offered one-on-one time for attendees to get to know their agencies and all they offer. The awards dinner celebrated the success of individuals, partners, and collaboratives for their outstanding service to Family Connection. Family advisors were recognized for the invaluable support they give to each region, Family Connection coordinators were recognized for their five, 10, and, 15 years of service, and Family Connection collaboratives that met Proficient Standards for 2007 were recognized for their achievements. The Family Connection Community Achievement Awards recognized outstanding achievement in six categories and were unique because they honored collaboratives and partners who had distinguished themselves through successful community achievement. An independent panel of judges with professional experience and knowledge in each category selected the Community Achievement Awards winners:
"Ellen Hester showed us two apples—one beautiful, but artificial; the other a little bruised, but real," said Gaye Smith, executive director of Family Connection Partnership. "Our daily challenge going forward is to keep this work fresh and to keep it real. We have tough jobs with real demands, but we make a real difference in our communities and in our state every day. I have been, and continue to be, incredibly proud to be a part of the Georgia Family Connection Partnership and the Georgia Family Connection Network. The conference was a great one and I, for one, left ready to keep it fresh and keep it real."
Read about the collaboratives that earned profient status. Find out who earned service awards in 2007. |
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