Better Together honors Northeast Florida community partners at 2026 Doing Good Together reception

Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, recently honored its Northeast Florida volunteers, supporters and community partners who have made a significant impact on the organization and its mission.

As a privately funded, volunteer-driven nonprofit, Better Together relies on the support of donors, community partners and volunteers to provide its services to families across the state. Each year, Better Together hosts a series of Doing Good Together receptions in all six of its regions to honor and showcase the efforts of these individuals and organizations. Each honoree receives a specialized award, in the style of a prized baseball card, recognizing the recipient’s impact with Better Together.

This year, Better Together served 8,000 children, parents and job seekers in Northeast Florida through its Better Families and Better Jobs programs.

Better Together recognized several honorees during the reception held Jan. 29 at the Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville. Honorees include:
-Host Family of the Year was presented to Francine Finnie. Her desire to model faith in action shows in how she opens her home and heart to families in need. Through her hosting, she consistently demonstrates compassion, generosity and unwavering willingness to step in wherever support is required.
-Community Partner of the Year was presented to First Coast Women’s Services. Through the team’s work to increase operations for those who were not expecting or prepared to expand their families, they’ve incorporated referrals to Better Together. Through this partnership, families get the resources and community they need to thrive.
-Church Partner of the Year was presented to Saint James AME Church. The Rev. Jeffrey Dove and Saint James AME Church answer the call every time. They’ve hosted events, visited and prayed with families, provided moms with a support group and held furniture drives to help a family as they reunited.
-Community Board Member of the Year was presented to Stephen Freeman. He has significantly advanced Better Together’s mission through his time, talent and resources, embodying leadership, commitment and passion for the cause of keeping families together and children out of foster care.
-Department of Children and Families Partner of the Year was presented to Christian Mbakwe and Cristhian Tellez. They are deeply committed to helping children and parents thrive. When they refer families to Better Together, they consistently offer stellar communication and wrap-around support.
-Employer Partner of the Year was presented to Goodwill Industries of North Florida. Since 2024, Derrick Williams and his team at Goodwill Industries have participated in 16 Better Together job fairs across Northeast Florida. They consistently go above and beyond by offering resources, guidance and support to job seekers through a wide range of programs while also creating meaningful employment opportunities for candidates in the community.
-Mentor of the Year was presented to Veronica Johnson. She consistently shows up for parents. She gave mentees journals to discuss aspirations, supported multiple cases, met with parents on their schedule and encouraged healthy parent-child relationships. She has been patient, positive, reliable, respectful and full of grace.
-Super Volunteer of the Year was presented to Catherine Grant. Her presence makes people feel seen, supported and truly welcomed. Whether stepping forward to support an initiative, encourage others or fill a need before it’s even voiced, she embodies what it means to serve with intention and heart.
-Staff Appreciation Award was presented to Regina Roberts. In 2025, she assisted more children than any other team member in the state – and she did so with grace. She gives families clear guidance, and she builds strong relationships with volunteers. She also pours her heart into the team, coordinating outings and recognizing milestones.

“Our Better Together team is so grateful for the donors, volunteers, partners and advocates who stand in the gap and support us in fulfilling our mission,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “These groups and individuals are the reason we are able to transform lives and help our community flourish. It was an honor to recognize them for their generosity and unwavering support this year.”

Better Together works to prevent the need for foster care by building strong families and communities. When a parent needs support – due to homelessness, a medical emergency, or other crisis – Better Together volunteer host families provide a safe, loving home for the children short term, while staff and mentors empower the parents to secure employment, housing and other needs. Because job loss is at the root of most family crises, the Better Together workforce program provides opportunities for all job seekers through relational job fairs and volunteer job coaches.

To date, Better Together has served more than 34,000 children, and 98% of children served through mentoring and hosting remain out of foster care. The nonprofit has also connected more than 48,000 job seekers to employment opportunities through church-based job fairs across 24 states.

Better Together is always seeking additional volunteers and community partners to join its efforts to build stronger families. To learn more about how to become a donor, partner or volunteer, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.

ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER

Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.