General Assembly Honors Georgia Family Connection at Capitol
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The Georgia General Assembly honored Georgia Family Connection last week, recognizing the statewide network for 25 years of service to children and families. Family Connection’s State Peer-to-Peer Advisory Committee, representing Collaboratives from all 159 counties, was recognized in both the House and Senate chambers and hosted a reception for legislators.
“This is such an important organization that goes way beyond the reach of what the government can do to help our children and families,” said Rep. Katie Dempsey when she introduced House Resolution 1287, which she and Rep. Terry England initiated. “Every county in the state benefits from the great work Family Connection does. They are making gigantic differences to help children and families survive and thrive.”
Family Connection accomplishes that by connecting partners to develop creative solutions to help eliminate service gaps, barriers, and inefficiencies standing in the way of progress and positive outcomes.
“They do a great job of bringing families together and protecting the interests of children—and they do it on a very low budget,” said Sen. Jack Hill, who introduced Senate Resolution 945. “Two years ago there was such a great uprising from the legislature to save funding for Family Connection. When you’re working for children, that’s just about the best job of all. We appreciate the work Family Connection does for children across the state.”
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“Every county in the state benefits from the great work Family Connection does. They are making gigantic differences to help children and families survive and thrive.” —Rep. Katie Dempsey |
Back in the early 1990s, conditions for Georgia’s children and families were among the worst in the nation. Georgia Family Connection was established to connect and convene key community members committed to improving the well-being of children and families. Since then, this statewide network—the only one of its kind in the country—has received bi-partisan support from every Georgia governor and General Assembly.
Georgia Family Connection Partnership Executive Director Gaye Smith said resolutions from the House and Senate, a commendation from Gov. Nathan Deal, and the sustained investment for 25 years validates Family Connection’s mission.
“On any given day thousands of Georgians are sitting at tables across the state focused on improving conditions of the children and families they know best,” she said. “This gives us a unique vantage point—not only to see the big picture, but also to operate effectively at a local level. We are the eyes and ears on the ground for our legislators, connecting them to what’s going on locally and across the state. And we provide data to help inform their decisions.”
Dempsey agrees. “If you don’t know them, I hope you will get to know Family Connection,” she said. “They do so much of the hands-on work that many of us wish we were all at home to do.”
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| Georgia Family Connection is grateful to Gov. Nathan Deal for this commendation, and to both his and first lady Sandra Deal’s partnership and leadership in improving conditions for Georgia’s children and families. |
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Georgia Family Connection is grateful to the Georgia state senators who signed this resolution:
and to all members of the Georgia Senate who support our work across the state every day. |
| Georgia Family Connection is grateful to all members of the Georgia House of Representatives for their commitment to the children and families in the communities they serve, and to those who signed this resolution: | ||
| Rep. Katie Dempsey
Rep. Terry England Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver Rep. Buddy Harden Rep. Penny Houston Rep. Tommy Benton Rep. Stacey Abrams Rep. Jon Burns Rep. Matt Ramsey Rep. Matt Hatchett Rep. Mandi Ballinger Rep. Rick Jasperse Rep. Jodi Lott Rep. David Knight Rep. Sam Teasley Rep. Scot Turner |
Rep. Jeff Jones
Rep. Paulette Rakestraw Rep. Howard Maxwell Rep. Jan Jones Rep. Dustin Hightower Rep. Barbara Sims Rep. Christian Coomer Rep. Bruce Williamson Rep. Micah Gravley Rep. Regina Quick Rep. Mike Cheokas Rep. Dan Gasaway Rep. Timothy Barr Rep. Patty Bentley Rep. Valerie Clark Rep. Ronnie Mabra |
Rep. Allen Peake
Rep. Eddie Lumsden Rep. Taylor Bennett Rep. Sharon Cooper Rep. John Carson Rep. Trey Rhodes Rep. Steve Tarvin Rep. Pedro “Pete” Marin Rep. Mickey Stephens Rep. J. Craig Gordon Rep. Billy Mitchell Rep. Emory Dunahoo Rep. Bruce Broadrick Rep. Sheri Gilligan Rep. Carolyn Hugley |
Read “Georgia Family Connection Celebrates 25-Year Commitment to Families and Communities.”
Contact:
Bill Valladares
GaFCP Communications Director
404-739-0043
william@gafcp.org
Follow us on Twitter: @gafcpnews
