Partnership one of only six with 'proficient' status

The Wilkes County Community Partnership is one of six Family Connection Partnership collaboratives in Georgia to receive "proficient"status in the Family Connection Standards for Excellence in Collaboration and Community Decision-Making.

The designation was presented at the recent biennial Family Connection Partnership conference in Athens. A large group from Wilkes County attended the meeting to accept the award including Carolyn Reynolds, executive director of the Wilkes County Community Partnership; Sharon Williamson, chairman; Polly Fievet, treasurer; Vivian Walker, fiscal agent; Mayor Willie Burns; Gale Seibert, board member; and Donna Hardy, Chamber of Commerce director. Wilkes County Community Partnership staff attending included Horace Johnson, Dorothy Jordan, Beverly Falaise, Lashaunder Lee, and Mary Bell.

"We are honored to be one of the six Family Connection collaboratives to receive this new designation," said Reynolds. "This honor is a tribute to the commitment and support of our collaborative partners."

Wilkes County Community Partnership is one of 159 collaboratives in Georgia that make up the Family Connection, a network of communities committed to improving results for children and families. Each collaborative serves as the local decision-making body and develops strategies to improve results in fiveareas including healthy children; children ready to start school; children succeeding in school; stable self-sufficientfamilies; and strong communities.

The standards were developed and guided by a workgroup of Family Connection Partnership and community representatives to provide consistency across all collaboratives. "Proficient" status means the collaborative went beyond expectations and demonstrated its commitment to and achievement in developing and sustaining the collaborative structure and processes that lead to improved results for children, families, and communities.

"Wilkes County has been in the forefront of collaboration and improving results for children and families for more than a decade," said Gaye Smith, executive director of Family Connection Partnership. "Their commitment to local decision-making has reaped positive benefits in programs the collaborative has initiated, in having funding allocated to the county, and in improved results for children and families."

Wilkes County Community Partnership is made up of human service providers, community-based organizations, elected officials, business and civic leaders and families, and concerned citizens. The collaborative has been part of the Family Connection network of communities for more than a decade.

Collaboratives submitted documentation to apply for "proficient" status, and were selected by a team of Family Connection Partnership personnel and community representatives. The other counties to receive the designation were Lumpkin, Meriwether, Richmond, Spalding and Warren.

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