Guardian Ad Litem

06/02/22 • 32 min

For more than 30 years, the Guardian ad Litem Program has exclusively represented the best interest of children in the State of Florida court system. In Hillsborough County alone, more than 3,500 neglected, abused, and abandoned children have been removed from their homes and placed in the custody of the dependency court system. With no family available to speak for them, the child’s fate falls into the hands of the courts. Guardian ad Litem volunteers have the power to help give these kids a voice.

On this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Marrone, Community Outreach Coordinator, to learn about the impact that volunteers have on both the life of a child in need and within the court system. We also speak with Derrick Perez, a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer. Derrick grew up in the foster care system, and he uses his past personal experiences to help guide other foster kids into a successful future.

For more information on Guardian Ad Litem, please visit guardianadlitem.org

For more information on Guardian Ad Litem, please visit guardianadlitem.org

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Meals on Wheels of Tampa

Be More Unstoppable’s host, Veronica, has been a volunteer for Meals on Wheels of Tampa for about 17 years. She sits down with long-time friend and passionate Executive Director, Steve King. She also speaks with several homebound Meals on Wheels recipients, who were kind enough to share a little bit about their lives and experience with the program.

For more information about Meals on Wheels of Tampa, including how to become a volunteer, please visit mowtampa.org.

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Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services

Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services is a non-sectarian, community-based, Florida not-for-profit that has been serving Floridians since 1960. Their programs cover Children and Family Services, Workforce Development, Refugee Services, and more.

On this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sandra Braham, President, and CEO of Gulf Coast JFCS, who shares with us how this organization is helping families stay together, helping people gain valuable life skills, and helping to maintain a quality of life for our senior population.

We'll also learn about the CALL Program, which is being developed in partnership with the St. Petersburg Police department that is positively impacting the community when it comes to responding to emergency calls involving persons with mental and behavioral health issues.

Through strong community partnerships, Gulf Coast JFCS is truly living up to its mission to PROTECT the vulnerable, EMPOWER individuals, and STRENGTHEN families.