Danette Fleming

I've been working in the nonprofit field for about 5 or 6 years, though not always with my current organization, Better Together. I started my career in the maternity home background in Georgia, where I was part of the building, construction, and launch of a home for young pregnant mothers. Seeing that first baby be born and watching that young mom graduate from our program, sustain her own apartment, maintain meaningful employment, and keep custody of her baby while continuing trauma counseling was incredibly rewarding. Now, as Director of Community Advancement at Better Together in Naples, Florida, our whole goal is to keep children out of the foster care system by offering host homes for parents, mentorship to walk through crisis with them, and partnering with the community to make that happen. We're volunteer driven and we engage volunteers and community partners to work with families in crisis before the Department of Children and Family Services gets involved. We get referrals from churches, community partners, the Department of Children and Family Services, local hospitals, local law enforcement, local schools, and families refer themselves to us as well. My main area of expertise is cultivating relationships with community partners and donors by getting to know them personally, understanding the heart of their mission and the heart behind their giving, not just seeing them for their dollar signs. We help with job coaching because we know that families in crisis often start out because of lack of employment and job skills, so our goal is to get in front of all the crisis before it really gets on that slippery slope and starts heading downhill. What motivates me is my heart for service, my love for the Lord, and wanting to be Jesus' hands and feet and make a difference in my community. I want to be part of generational change, not just change for today or tomorrow, but change that is going to be generational. I believe it was never intended for the government to raise children - it was always supposed to be the community, the churches, and the local people surrounding families in crisis.