Don’t Miss Out!!
We are hosting our first annual conference in hopes of giving you up to date tools and information; allowing you to continually “open doors” of success for those you help serve. This conference has something for everyone: administrators, direct service staff, and volunteers.
We will be covering the important issues you face each day, including:
All you need to know about affordable housing
How to effectively tell your story
The latest information and resources on trauma informed care
Homeless outreach
Faith and Programming
Funding types and what you need to know
Working with children safely
Mental issues and how it impacts what you do
Among other topics
These sessions will give you the tools you need to further enhance your programs and services. For more information on speakers and sessions click here and join us for the Opening Doors conference!
Schedule
Opening Session – General Session I 9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Keynote Address – “Opening Doors”
Breakout Session I 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Name of Session: What is your mission – Stay the Course “The Effective Case Manager”
Presenter: Gloria Boone – National Certified ROMA Trainer – Lake Community Action Agency
Description: Because of the nature of social service agencies, it is a common occurrence for staff to become so engrossed in the day-to-day activities that they drift away from the mission of the agency. This workshop is designed to bring case managers to a focal point of their duties. The focus will be on Skills of An Effective Case Manager; Writing Effective Case Notes; and Mission Drift: What is Our Mission? What Are Our Challenges? What Are Our Opportunities? Does the Mission Need to be Revisited? and an Exercise: Writing a Mission Statement.
Name of Session: Demystifying Mental Illness
Presenter: Karen M. Rogers, MS, LMHC, Adult Clinical Services Director, LifeStream Behavioral Center
Name of Session: Gift-In-Kind Fundraising – Turn Your Material Gifts Into Cash!
Presenter: Bruce Gimbel, Executive Director, Jericho Road Ministries
How can I get the things I need to operate my agency? Do I have to buy everything I need?
Then, what do I do with the excess “stuff” people give beyond my needs? Starting a Thrift Store
is not a scary notion for me, is it for you? We will discuss the answers to these questions as you
seek the resources you need for your agency.
Name of Session: Homeless Outreach
Presenter:
Breakout Session II 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Name of Session: Funds – ESG – Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing and SSVF
Presenter: Heidi Blanchette and Mia Fink – Citrus County Housing Services and Latesha
Tayler – Family Endeavors
Learn how to determine if your clients who are at-risk of losing their housing and need rental or
utility assistance are eligible for Emergency Solutions Grant dollars or Supportive Services for
Veteran Families program dollars. Working with someone who is homeless and trying to get
back into their own housing? Learn if they are eligible for assistance through these funds. Has
your organization thought about applying for Emergency Solutions Grants and want insight
from an organization that has applied for, been awarded, and implemented such a grant? Hear
from an organization that has done this successfully and decide if your organization is ready to
apply.
Name of Session: “Domestic Violence – How to Help When Home Isn’t Safe”
Presenter: Shannon Sokolowski, Executive Director, Dawn Center of Hernando County & Detective Elizabeth Tinkham, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office
Description: Attendees will learn domestic violence dynamics (including different types of abuse), warning signs to help social service providers identify if relationship violence is present, and best practice strategies for intervention. Presenters will inform attendees of local resources available to survivors of violence including services provided by certified domestic violence centers, law enforcement agencies, the criminal justice system, and the civil legal system.
Name of Session: Faith-Based Agencies & Programs – How to serve God and The World Without Compromising Your Faith
Presenter: Bruce Gimbel, Executive Director, Jericho Road Ministries
You and your faith will impact your agency’s Organizational Structure, Stewardship, Mission Statement, Board of Directors, Leadership, Vision, Fundraising, Government Grants, Staffing, Marketing, Programs, Donors and more. Join me as we discern God’s will for you and your faith-based agency.
How to tell your story effectively – Public Relations
Presenter: Anne Black – Hernando-Pasco Hospice & Katie Mehl – Citrus Memorial
Hospital (Members of the Nature Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations
Association)
We are passionate about what we do, the organization that we believe in, and the cause we support. How do we share that passion? Hear what two members of the Nature Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association have to share with you.
Name of Session: What direction is your organization moving? – Strategic Planning
Presenter: Kenna Marriott
Learn the critical points about Strategic Planning and why it is the roadmap to success for your organization. Strategic Plans are what differentiate successful organizations from others as it is the heart of an organization’s success. They give the organization specific, quantifiable and time bound direction rather than functioning with methodologies such as planning by project or even by crisis. The Strategic Plan begins with a well-constructed Vision and Mission which starts at the Board level and includes input from the entire organization and frequently their stakeholders. The Strategic Planning process carefully outlines accountabilities for the organization as a whole, the departments within the organization and sets the direction for all employees. The goals and action plans within the plan place critical emphasis on what the organization is required to do to meet it’s, fulfill its responsibilities and monitor its progress. These plans tell everyone the “who, what, where, why and how” of the companies planning because of its attention to the details of what can make it successful. They are utilized by non-union and union organizations as well as for profit and not for profit organizations. Does your organization have a clear path to run on?
Lunch – General Session II -Panel – Housing 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Presenter: Bill Aldinger, Supportive Housing Coordinator for the Florida Housing Finance
Corporation and member of the Office on Homelessness Council on Homelessness;
Shannon Nazworth, Director, Ability Housing, Florida Supportive Housing Coalition
and member of the Office on Homelessness Council on Homelessness, and Steve Smith,
Founder of New Beginnings of Lake County and member of the Office on Homelessness
Council on Homelessness.
Breakout Session II 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Name of Session: What direction is your organization moving – Strategic Planning
Presenter: Kenna Marriott
Name of Session: How to deal with stress in a healthy and productive way – Stress Management
Presenter: Rebecca Martin – Corporate Trainer; Florida-Certified Family & Dependency
Mediator
Name of Session: “What to know when working with children – Safe from Harm”
Presenter: Captain Lynn Irish, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army Citrus County Corps
Description: Many organizations work with children and families both through direct services and volunteers. In today’s world it is important to protect those children as well as our staff and volunteers. In this session you will learn an effective tool to put into practice in order to ensure the safety of your organization, staff, volunteers, and the children you work with.
Name of Session: “How to maximize a sense of physical and psychological safety – Trauma Informed Care”
Presenter: Terrie Cooper of SEDNET
Description: One in four children experience a traumatic event severe enough to affect their behavior, their ability to learn, or both. When exposed to a traumatic event, children as young as 18 months can have serious emotional and behavior problems later in childhood and on into adulthood. 35 percent of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop serious mental health problems. This training is designed to share the impact trauma has on children and provide strategies that can be implemented to support them. Trauma informed care in educational settings maximizes a child’s sense of physical and psychological safety.
Closing Session – General Session III 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Name of Session: Affordable Housing
Presenter: Bill Aldinger, Supportive Housing Coordinator for the Florida Housing Finance
Corporation and member of the Office on Homelessness Council on Homelessness