Being on the Winning Team

Awe . . . fall, my favorite time of the year! I particularly love fall mornings, when the sky is a brilliant blue while contrasting against the changing colors of the leaves on the trees. For me, this is one of the most beautiful, picturesque view during the fall. Then, as you step outside and breathe in that first breath of crisp air. Awe . . . I love fall.

I also love fall because it is the pinnacle of baseball season. For those not familiar with baseball, it starts in February with pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training. The season consist of 162 games, with the first game taking place in early April and the last taking place in late September or early October. I have enjoyed baseball since I was a young child. Proof of that would be that even though my favorite team is not in the playoffs, I have yet to miss a game this postseason. By the end of October, there will be champion crowned and their fans will be celebrating vigorously. I have to admit, there is nothing quite like your team winning the World Series. There are a few factors that are necessary to win the World Series . . . great starting pitching, good defense, consistent hitting mixed with some power, a pitcher that can close out a game, loyal fans, and, let’s be honest, a little luck never hurts.

At this point you are probably thinking, I thought this was the Crittenton Centers blog. Well, it is, but there are many similarities between putting together a team that can win the World Series and the team at Crittenton Centers.

We have staff whose days begin early in the morning and often times run through the evening. Staff that work hard and are dedicated to our mission of protecting and nurturing children and families. They have committed themselves and their talents to fulfilling the mission because they believe that strong families build strong communities. In baseball, if you are .300+ hitter and hit 20+ home runs, then you are basically a star; so unlike baseball, we have staff that are much more proficient in their efforts to assist families that are at risk of abuse or neglect every day. For instance this past year . . .  

·         In the Crisis Nursery, 100% of the parents were able to maintain child safety by preventing child abuse and neglect.

·         In the Child Development Center, 100% of the parents increased their parenting skills.

·         In Family Services, 98% of the teen participants didn’t experience a second pregnancy.

·         In Family Services, 98% of those participating in parenting classes there was a positive change in parenting skills.

·         In the Stepping Stones program, 91% of the young ladies had custody of their children which has continually trended up over the last few years.

One of the key factors to a team experiencing success is in regards to our “fans”; which in this case I am referring to those individuals that support Crittenton Centers. More specifically, I am referring to those individuals that need our services and those individuals that donate their time, talents, and financial resources. During this past year, we provided a hand up to many individuals including:

·         In the Crisis Nursery, there were over 5,900 admissions which is a number that has trended up over the past three years, and those individuals received 37,000 hours of assistance.

·         In the Family Services Milestones Program, there were 486 home visits completed; which is an evidence based approach to assisting families and this number has trended up over that past three years.

·         There were 1,245 individuals that received services through all of the various program services.

·         100% of those individuals completing satisfaction surveys were satisfied with the assistance they received

·         There were over 2,000 individuals that volunteered to assist with program services, maintenance projects, special events, and other activities.

During my time at Crittenton Centers, I have been both amazed and humbled by the level of community support that we receive to fulfill our mission of protecting and nurturing children and families. I am grateful for those donors that have invested their resources and partnered with us to provide a hand up to those children and families in our care.

 

Every successful baseball team has what is referred to as a “Front Office” whose primary responsibility is to look out for the business side of the organization in an effort to help the team be successful. For Crittenton Centers, this support comes from the Board of Directors and Management Team within the organization. This group of individuals provides thoughtful and effective leadership in their efforts to support the team. 

At the end of October, there will be a trophy handed out to the team that wins the World Series, and while there won’t be a trophy handed out for efforts. We are grateful for the success that the children and families in our care have experienced. I am appreciative for everyone on the Crittenton Centers Team and know that there are countless children and families both now and in generations to come who’s lives will be better because of the investment of time, talent, and financial resources of everyone on the team.

If you would like to learn more about being on the winning team please call us at 674-0105 or check out our website at www.crittentoncenters.org . Thank you

Take care,

Jeff Gress

President & CEO