FACING THE FUTURE
The Future? We could worry or get ready.
As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, I’m filled with both pride in how far we’ve come and clear-eyed determination about the road ahead. Since Jane Robinson founded Center for Child Counseling in 1999, we’ve grown to serve over 7,500 children annually in just the past two years — each one facing challenges that once might have defined their future.
But here’s what we’ve learned: the future isn’t fixed. It’s created.
While the statistics on childhood trauma and toxic stress remain sobering, our approach has fundamentally transformed.
The HOPE framework — Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (Tufts Medicine) — has revolutionized how we address Adverse Childhood Experiences. Our Data Dashboard has evolved from collecting statistics to directing precise, targeted action where it’s needed most.
Most importantly, we’re meeting children and families exactly where they are — in schools, pediatric offices, and neighborhoods — with plans for mobile support delivery expanding our reach even further.
We’re ready.
But this transformation isn’t happening through our efforts alone. It’s happening because of you.
You are the essential element in creating traumainformed communities. When you understand the science of ACEs and embrace your power to provide positive experiences, you become an architect of change. The ripple effect of your involvement — whether through time, resources, or advocacy — extends far beyond what you can see today.
The question isn’t whether our children will face challenges. The question is whether we’ll be ready to meet those challenges with science, compassion, and community-wide action.
We’ve spent 25 years getting ready. We’ve adopted the framework, gathered the data, built the partnerships, and mobilized the resources. Now, with your continued partnership, we’re not just facing the future — we’re actively creating it.
The future? We’re ready. Are you with us?
With hope and determination,
Renée Layman President and CEO Board of Directors and Staff
The Face
Future of the
Predicting the future is easy if we don’t change the course we’re on.
High Impact in Human Numbers
In 2024, Center for Child Counseling’s impact reached unprecedented heights, serving over 7,500 children and families with direct therapeutic interventions.
• 40,000 children enjoyed a safer stay at summer and holiday camps through CFCC’s exclusive CampSafe® program.
• 10,000 clients, a new high total, were captured in our Data Dashboard, building targeted response to real needs.
There’s no crystal ball in our line of work, but one thing is clear: if we continue on the current trajectory, our children face an unthinkable outlook. Yet at Center for Child Counseling, we’re not accepting that predetermined path. Instead, we’re actively coursecorrecting children’s mental health through innovations that aren’t just changing systems — they’re transforming the future.
Changing the Current Outlook
Our children’s everyday reality is shocking. The youth mental health crisis continues to intensify, with anxiety, depression, and trauma responses reaching unprecedented levels, particularly among marginalized communities and LGBTQ+ youth.
ONE IN FOUR Palm Beach County children is suffering mental or physical trauma, or both.
• More than 12,000 Palm Beach County teachers, childcare providers, and professionals were equipped with trauma-informed approaches.
• Through the SAMHSA-funded Project BRAVE, we’re now positioned to deliver trauma treatment to 350 children, coordinate care for 350 families, provide workshops for 700 caregivers, and train over 7,400 professionals over the next five years.
Tools That Change the Game
Our suite of free, research-based tools continues to build family, caregiver, and community capacity to cope and heal.
• “A Way of Being with Children” curriculum has expanded beyond early childhood to include elementary-aged children, providing practical strategies for healthy development.
• Our KidSafe program empowers children with protective skills against abuse, with staff confidence in recognizing at-risk children increasing from 49% to 97%.
• The innovative “Ways to Play” resource helps adults meaningfully connect with children through developmentally appropriate activities.
HOPE for the Future: Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences
5 ACEs* by First Grade: Kasey’s Voice of HOPE
I spent a lot of time hiding under my desk at school. It felt safer there.
They called me the “problem child” but I wasn’t trying to be bad. I was just scared all the time.
I’m Kasey. By first grade, I had already lived through five different kinds of trauma. My home was never safe — there was always yelling and hitting. Some nights I went to bed hungry because there wasn’t food. I got passed around to different people who were supposed to take care of me, but they were strangers.
When my teacher found me under my desk again, something different happened. Instead of getting angry, she brought me to Center for Child Counseling.
My therapist helped me understand that what happened wasn’t my fault. In the play room, I could show how I was feeling without having to find all the right words. For the first time, I had adults who believed in me, and I believed in them.
I started learning how to calm my body when I felt scared. I made a friend at school - my first real best friend! When I finally raised my hand in class, my teacher took a picture to celebrate.
These might seem like small things, but for me, they gave me hope and changed everything.
I’m 10 now. Things aren’t perfect, but I’m not that scared little boy hiding under the desk anymore. I have people who care about me, safe places to go, and I know how to talk about my feelings.
* Adverse Childhood Experiences
Here’s why I have hope for my future.
Changing the Outlook
A HOPEful future starts with science.
Center for Child Counseling developed the only dataintegrated and public-health focused access, intake, treatment, and outcomes dashboard in the nation. This new platform is the breakthrough we’ve been looking for, providing strategic, real-time response to individual and community mental health needs backed by science.
How does it change the future? CFCC’s Data
Dashboard delivers:
• Immediate support instead of waitlists
• Targeted interventions based on real needs
• Seamless coordination between care providers and our pediatric partners
• Parent involvement as essential to healing
• A clear view of community-level trauma patterns
Celebrating Babies: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris Ignites Action for Florida’s Youngest
Our Dashboard illuminates a critical understanding of the fight we’re in and why: behind every datapoint is a face, a family, a future to be saved. One day soon, this technology will be shared around the nation.
In a watershed moment for children’s mental health advocacy, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris—internationally acclaimed pediatrician and pioneer in childhood trauma research — delivered a powerful message to a captivated audience at The Breakers: “Start where you are, do what you can.” The Celebrate Babies event, hosted by Center for Child Counseling and Florida Association of Infant Mental Health, united 175 in-person attendees and over 200 virtual participants from around the globe in a shared commitment to reimagine the future for Florida’s most vulnerable citizens.
As California’s former Surgeon General, Dr. Burke Harris presented a compelling vision of transformation, emphasizing that “ACEs are not destiny” and revealing how aligned systems can break cycles of trauma that cost Florida $796 billion annually. The event crystallized a powerful truth: the future doesn’t just happen — it’s created through deliberate action.
2024: Transforming Pediatric Care for Tomorrow’s Children
The Lead the Fight series stands as a powerful testament to how bringing systems together can reshape the future for our children. By equipping pediatricians — the healthcare professionals who see nearly every child—with the tools to identify, respond to, and prevent childhood trauma, CFCC has lit a path toward a more hopeful tomorrow.
Mobilizing Medicine’s Front Line
In a groundbreaking series that reshaped how healthcare providers approach childhood trauma, Center for Child Counseling’s 2024 Lead the Fight initiative united hundreds of pediatricians to forge a new future for children’s mental health. “We are the boots on the ground,” proclaimed Dr. Shannon Fox-Levine at the series’ opening event. As both president of the Society and medical director of CFCC, Dr. Fox-Levine galvanized more than 80 healthcare providers with a clear message: pediatricians are uniquely positioned to identify childhood trauma before it transforms into lifelong illness. CFCC CEO Renée Layman emphasized that this work is changing the trajectory of an entire generation.
Building Bridges Between Systems
The momentum continued with part two, “The Superheroes Have Arrived,” where pediatricians connected with school-based mental health services to create seamless support networks for struggling children. Dr. Seth Bernstein of United Way of Palm Beach County and Dr. Mary Claire Mucenic from Palm Beach County Schools led powerful discussions about breaking down silos between healthcare and education — a future where no child falls through the cracks.
From Trauma to HOPE
The series culminated in a December session that pivoted from focusing on problems to embracing solutions through the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences). Eugenia Millender, Ph.D., and Renée E. Layman, MS, LMHC, demonstrated how positive childhood experiences can counterbalance adversity, reshaping children’s futures even after trauma. This final gathering completed the circle: from identifying trauma to connecting resources to actively building resilience — a comprehensive blueprint for pediatricians to transform their practices and their communities.
The vision is clear: a future where children’s mental health receives the same urgent attention as their physical health, where trauma- informed care is the standard rather than the exception, and where every child has access to the buffering experiences and relationships that build resilience.
Building the Future with HOPE
CFCC collaborative efforts forwarding children’s mental health.
When we equip parents with science-backed strategies, we change entire family trees.
New Doors Open at U.B. Kinsey
Mental health services now live in the heart of the community. Our new West Palm Beach location brings prevention, education, and healing directly to families who need it most. With training rooms and family spaces designed for connection, we’re embedding hope where children live, learn, and grow.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Recognizes Our Revolution
Our first federal grant validates what we’ve always known: this model works. $576,416 over five years through Project BRAVE will deliver trauma treatment to 350 children and train over 7,400 professionals. Federal funding means national recognition that CFCC’s approach is the future of children’s mental health.
Child First Excellence Continues 10 out of 10 benchmarks met. Year after year, our Child First program demonstrates unwavering fidelity to evidence-based family intervention. When families with complex challenges receive our support, children thrive. The National Service Office doesn’t just notice — they ask us to share our strategies with the network.
GL Homes: Champions of Community Care
GL Homes stepped up when children needed champions most. Their partnership extends beyond funding — they’re creating awareness and celebrating the heroes who make healing possible. At the Palm Beach Yacht Club, 50 community leaders gathered to honor CFCC’s 25th anniversary, proving that when businesses invest in children’s mental health, entire communities thrive.
Palm Beach County Youth Services: Family HOPE Takes Flight
$130,000 annually for three years means parents get the tools they deserve. Project Promoting Family HOPE delivers culturally tailored workshops in multiple languages, transforming adverse childhood experiences into positive outcomes.
Ways to Play: Joy as Medicine
Play isn’t just fun—it’s healing. Our new program gives adults confidence to connect with children through exploration and bonding. Every moment of play builds resilience, creates attachment, and plants seeds of hope. When we make play purposeful, we make childhood possible again.
CampSafe: Protecting 40,000 Campers
11,600 camp staff trained across 125 camps in the U.S., Canada, and other nations. When summer should mean freedom and joy, CampSafe® ensures it does — safely. Staff confidence in recognizing at-risk children jumped from 49% to 97%.
Brighter Skies Above
Founder’s Legacy Lives On
Jane Robinson receives the Viola Brody Award for pioneering play therapy across Florida. Twenty-five years after founding CFCC, our founder continues to shape the field that transforms young lives. Her legacy reminds us that one person’s vision can heal generations.
Innovation Gets Its Due Recognition
The 2024 Hats Off Nonprofit Innovation Award celebrates what we’ve always believed: data drives transformation. Our groundbreaking Data Dashboard doesn’t just collect information — it eliminates waitlists and saves lives. When innovation meets impact, children get the care they deserve, when they need it most.
WPBF 25 Spotlights Our Mission
“On the Record” with Felicia Rodriguez brought CFCC’s story to thousands. When local media promotes the urgency of children’s mental health, awareness turns into action. Every viewer who learned about trauma-informed communities became a potential advocate for change.
Great Charity Challenge Victory
$27,500 won in February 2024. Every dollar earned through competition becomes hope delivered.
National Adoption Advocacy
Renée Layman honored as Angels in Adoption® recipient by U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. Recognition in Washington, D.C. amplifies our voice for vulnerable children everywhere. When adoption advocacy meets trauma-informed care, children can finally experience the love and support of family.
Clinical Excellence Recognized
Jineth Sanchez-Musillo, finalist for Nonprofit Professional of the Year. Our Director of Clinical Services embodies the expertise and compassion that defines CFCC’s approach. When clinical leaders are celebrated, the entire field of children’s mental health rises.
Christmas in July Magic
Seven families received $7,000 each through the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation. Homelessness, abuse, and financial hardship met their match in community generosity. When we meet basic needs, healing becomes possible. When stability arrives, strength follows.
Celebrating Champions
2024’s Gratitude Gathering honored Dr. Barbara Cox Gerlock, Julie Fisher Cummings, and Justice Barbara Pariente. These champions prove that fighting ACEs takes a village of dedicated advocates. At Baubles & Baskets, 55 guests turned holiday cheer into trauma services funding.
Visionary Leaders
& Philanthropic Power
Sam Meshberg: Innovation Fund Pioneer
Sam Meshberg sees what others miss: prevention pays. His early investment in CFCC’s Innovation Fund reflects a philanthropist who understands that data-driven solutions create both economic and social value. “The cost of not achieving these goals is unsustainable,” he explains, recognizing that strategic investments in children’s mental health transform entire communities.
“I want to support a well-managed, forward-focused, innovative community mental health organization that prioritizes children most vulnerable to unhealthy environmental impacts.” Sam’s commitment goes beyond funding — he’s investing in a revolution that other communities can learn from and adapt.
When visionary donors like Sam meet organizations like CFCC, transformation becomes inevitable.
“CFCC’s proven ability to innovate and deliver measurable outcomes sets it apart in children’s mental health.”
Melissa Haley: Circle of Giving
Board Director Melissa Haley founded the Circle of Giving in 2023 with a simple but powerful vision: make lasting change in the lives of children, families, and communities impacted by adverse childhood experiences and trauma. Her aim is clear — take action and drive advocacy towards a brighter future.
In 2024, the Circle welcomed 24 new members at an annual impact gift of $1,000. These philanthropic partners joined intimate gatherings designed to engage on a deeper level with the work and goals of CFCC in realizing systemic change in local children’s mental health provision.
In the face of the youth mental health and trauma crisis, the time for real commitment has never been more critical. The Circle of Giving represents a growing philanthropic community raising unrestricted donor funding for children’s mental health and safety — proving that when passionate advocates unite around shared purpose, circles of healing expand exponentially.
Kathy Leone: Champion of Lead the Fight
Kathy Leone is a Jane Robinson Child Advocacy Award recipient who turns passion into action. Kathy doesn’t just advocate for children’s mental health and development — she creates the platforms where worldrenowned experts can reach hundreds of professionals and community members at once. Through her partnership with The Breakers Palm Beach, she’s hosted our most transformative Lead the Fight events.
When Gabor Maté and Dr. Nadine Burke Harris need a stage to change minds about childhood trauma, they find it at The Breakers. Kathy and her husband, Breakers CEO Paul Leone, understand that fighting ACEs requires both intimate advocacy and grand stages. Their dedication transforms prestigious settings into classrooms for trauma-informed care.
“Lead the Fight is educating people in all walks of life to take responsibility for their role in meeting children where they are.”
Kathy’s vision extends beyond individual advocacy to systemic change, proving that when passionate champions speak out, the message reaches further than ever imagined.
Years of fighting for foster children and her role with CFCC taught her that prevention beats intervention every time.
New Board Leadership Joins the Mission
Jessica Cecere Returns
Thirty-five years of nonprofit expertise comes home to CFCC. The former CEO of Nonprofits First and a certified governance trainer, Jessica brings a level of strategic leadership that scales operations and impact. Her return signals deep commitment to our evolving mission, its model expansion, and our ultimate influence on the future of children’s mental health across the globe.
Dr. Justin Perry Brings Academic Excellence
Dean of FAU’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College joins our mission. With his Ph.D. in counseling, psychology, and fifteen years of clinical experience serving children and families, Dr. Perry strengthens our university partnerships and workforce development pipeline. Growth in academic leadership among our board ensures knowledge and evidence-based practice grows as well.
Future Our Children’s Is Now
The future isn’t a frontier far away, something to be discovered or waited on. It’s unfolding before our eyes every day through the insight, investment, and leadership of people like you who believe in a better world for our children.
Incomparable Champions for Children: CFCC Board of Directors
Smart, strong, compassionate, accomplished – these words describe the leadership that has, and continues, to redefine the future of children’s mental health. Read their bios on our website under About Us.
Chair, Eugenia Millender, Ph.D.
Vice Chair, Eddie Stephens, Esq.
Treasurer and Secretary, Jeffrey Petrone
Immediate Past Chair, Bill Lynch
Patsy Mintmire, MSW
Melissa Haley
Jessica Cecere
Justin Perry, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Renée E. Layman, MS, LMHC
Philanthropic Gifts
$500,000 and above
Sam & Karry Meshberg Foundation Inc.
The Mintmire Family
$100,000 and above
The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation
$50,000 and above
The Haley Foundation
$25,000 and above
Ruth Hartman
Paul and Kathy Leone
The David Minkin Foundation
$20,000 and above
Jane J. Robinson
$10,000 and above
Arthur and Nancy Altman Charitable Fund
Abby Baker and Family
John & Nellie Bastien Memorial Foundation
Lisa LaFrance
The Petrone Family
$5,000 and above
GL Homes
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Palm Beach Co.
Community Outreach Charitable Fund
Beth Linzner
Thomas and Danielle McDonald Family Charitable Fund
The Lester Napier Foundation, Inc.
Scott Porter / John & Nellie Bastien Memorial Foundation
Lisa Russo
Karen Young
$2,500 and above
Denise J. Bleau
Keith Diego
Brian Hyndman
Maria Marino
Deana McCrea
Robin Kriberney
Vicki Price
Cynthia R. Rosenbaum
$1,000 and above
BeWellPBC
Laura Bessinger-Morse
The Donor Difference
The level of growth and impact CFCC achieved in 2024 is a direct result of the extraordinary investment our donors, grantors, and sponsors make in mission delivery.
Christine and John Butler
Jessica Cecere
Alan Crowetz
Nancy Feiwel
James Gilligan
Huntt LaFrance Fund
The Jorgensen Foundation
Jeff Koons
Ned Massee
Ann Polya Ph.D.
Doug Pridgen
Rob Settle
Derek Shipes
Erich Speckin
$500 and above
Scott Granet
Louis Horvath
Justice Barbara Pariente
The Cam Reese Charitable Fund
Andrew Samson
Ilene Solomon Silber
Janice Spritz
Circle of Giving Members 2024
Abraham Anzardo • Abby Baker and Family • Laura Bessinger-Morse • Shirley Brostmeyer • Christina Butler
Jessica Cecere • Keith Diego • Nancy Feiwel • James Gilligan • Melissa Haley • Brian Hyndman • Sharika Kellogg • Lisa LaFrance • Deana McCrea • Sam Meshberg
Jeffrey and Jodie Petrone • Ann Polya • Vicki Price • Lisa Russo • Rob Settle • Erich Speckin • Jacquie Stephens
Karen Young
2024 Granting Partners
Each grant funded, every dollar awarded, is stewarded in alignment with the mutual goals of Center for Child Counseling and our granting partners in advancing the mental health and wellness of our children and families. Some have been with us since the beginning, but all are instrumental in the rise of our public health approach to mental health and creating trauma-informed communities in Palm Beach County. We are ever grateful for your partnership and support.
Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County
SAMHSA / Project BRAVE
Quantum Foundation
School District of Palm Beach County
Florida Network of Youth and Family Services
Palm Beach County Community Services/FAA
Palm Beach County Youth Services Department
The Jim Moran Foundation
The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation
Lost Tree Village Charitable Foundation
The Smith Brothers Family Foundation Fund
Cathleen McFarlane Foundation, Inc.
Florida Blue Foundation
Town of Palm Beach United Way
Achievement Centers
The Batchelor Foundation, Inc.
Fuller Center
Impact the Palm Beaches
Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
Saul & Theresa Esman Foundation
BallenIsles Charities Foundation
Great Charity Challenge
Mirasol Foundation, Inc.
Julie F. & Peter D. Cummings Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation
Boca West Children’s Foundation
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Hobbs Foundation
The Royal Poinciana Chapel
Wycliffe Charities Foundation
United Way of Palm Beach County
Ibis Charities Foundation, Inc.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Celia Lipton Farris & Victor W. Farris Foundation
Men Giving Back South Palm Beach County
First Horizon Foundation
Marjorie M. Fisher Fund
J.M. Rubin Foundation
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
$2,450,700
$576,416
$500,000
$500,000
$250,000
$207,958
$200,000
$165,000
$125,000
$100,000
$100,000
$96,876
$95,000
$79,666
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
$50,000
$45,000
$37,500
$30,000
$27,500
$25,000
$20,000
$20,000
$15,000
$15,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$8,000
$7,500
$7,500
$5,000
$3,500
$2,500
$2,500
$1,000
$200
Corporate Sponsors 2024
Without the critical support of our business and corporate partners, groundbreaking programming and events such as Lead the Fight, Celebrate Babies, and KidSafe simply wouldn’t exist. When there are so many worthy community missions and projects to support, we are filled with gratitude that you choose to support the children and families of CFCC.
The Breakers/Paul and Kathy Leone
Valley National Bank
Florida Crystals Corporation
The GEO Group Foundation Inc.
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Stephens & Stevens, PLLC
Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA
$50,000
$7,500
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
$4,500
$3,000
Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County $2,575 Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County $2,500
The Garchik Family Foundation
$2,500
Hanley Foundation $2,500 Blanket $2,000
AmeriHealth Caritas Florida $1,000 Infostream Inc.
Mollie & David Rattner
We can never say thank you enough, but thank you.
The Forecast
Financial Report 2024
Financial Growth and Strength: We’re Ready for the Future
Center for Child Counseling achieved remarkable financial growth in fiscal year 2024, with revenue increasing from $6.7 million to $7.9 million — representing a 17.9% growth in annual revenue. This growth reflects the increasing demand for our services and strong confidence in our mission to create trauma-informed communities where children can thrive.
Statement of Financial Activities: For the year ended September 30, 2024
Change in Net Assets: $839,267 For our complete audited financial statements and additional financial information, please visit centerforchildcounseling.org/ transparency
Financial Breakdown by Service Priority CFCC
$4.6 Million 64% of total expenses Prevention and Education $1.2 Million 17% of total expenses System Integration and Innovation $1.1 Million 16% of total expenses
Key Financial Highlights
Strong Program Efficiency
81% of our resources directly fund program services, ensuring maximum impact for every dollar invested.
Diversified Revenue
Our balanced funding portfolio includes federal grants (32%), state/local contracts (53%), private donations (12%), and program fees (9%), providing stability and sustainability.
Investment Growth
Our beneficial interest in assets held by the Community Foundation grew from $209,109 to $367,375, strengthening our long-term financial foundation.
Emergency Preparedness
We maintained strong cash reserves of $4.5 million, ensuring continuity of services during uncertain times.
Future Aspirations: Our New Center
As we look toward the coming years, Center for Child Counseling is preparing for our next transformative milestone: the development of a state-of-the-art children’s mental health services and clinical training facility in the heart of Palm Beach County.
This visionary project will:
• Expand our clinical capacity to serve more children and families in need
• Create a centralized hub for trauma-informed community training
• Establish a clinical training institute to grow the next generation of mental health professionals
• Provide specialized spaces for innovative therapeutic approaches including group therapy, family services, and community education
• Serve as a model for trauma-informed facility design that can be replicated nationwide
Together, we’re not just building a facility — we’re building hope, healing, and a healthier future for children and families in our community and beyond.
