BEING THERE: The Act of Spreading Hope
Hope.
Hope burns. It burns inside us.
The blaze of hope is spreading like wildfire. It starts as a spark. It flickers, it flames. It catches, it grows, it runs.
Person by person.
Block by block.
A Message from Our President & CEO on Being There
Dear Friends and Partners,
Twenty-five years ago, the Center for Child Counseling was built on a simple, fierce belief: that every child deserves to be seen, supported, and provided the chance to heal their hurt. In 2025, that belief rolled into a neighborhood near you.
The launch of our Mobile HOPE Unit was, for me, the image of this year. Not because it was our most critical initiative — we launched many — but because of what it represented. We have always known that waiting for children to come to us means too many children never arrive. So we came to them. That is what Being There means. It is a strategy, a commitment, and now, a vehicle.
This year also marked the launch of our 2025–2028 Strategic Plan — a roadmap built not just on where we have been, but on the boldness of where we are headed. Expanding our reach into communities that have long needed us. Advancing excellence in every clinical, programmatic, and operational dimension. Deepening the connections that make this work sustainable — with partners, funders, systems, and the families we serve.
I am humbled by the partnerships that took shape this year. Standing alongside Dr. Nadine Burke Harris at our 10th Anniversary Lead the Fight event, I was reminded that the work happening in Palm Beach County is part of a national conversation — and that CFCC has earned a place at that table. The op-ed Dr. Burke Harris and I co-authored was a moment of shared conviction: ACEs are not destiny, and communities of care are built, deliberately, by people who refuse to look away.
Our teams never looked away. Not from the families with the most complex needs. Not from the systems that needed to change. Not from the bold
new programs that we launched even as we sustained and deepened everything already underway.
HOPE is not a feeling. It is a strategy. And 2025 was the year we proved, again, that it works.
Thank you — for believing, for giving, for showing up alongside us. Keep spreading hope.
With deepest gratitude,
Renée Layman President & CEO, Center for Child Counseling
BEING THERE:
Convening Change
Over the past five years, Center for Child Counseling built an impressive reputation for Leadership, Partnership, and Innovation. 2025 cemented this status, propelling the work higher and further than ever before. That’s what being there is all about: changing children’s lives for good.
A Decade of Leading the Fight
On February 28, 2025, the Kravis Center filled with hundreds of advocates, clinicians, and champions from across Florida — gathered not just to celebrate a milestone, but to deepen a movement. The 10th Anniversary of Lead the Fight marked a decade of confronting Adverse Childhood Experiences head-on, and the occasion drew one of the most powerful voices in that national fight: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, former Surgeon General of California and pioneering champion of ACEs science. Dr. Burke Harris didn’t just speak to the crowd — she witnessed CFCC’s model firsthand. What she saw moved her.
A National Conversation, Extended
The partnership took on new dimension two months later when Dr. Burke Harris and CFCC President & CEO Renée Layman co-authored an op-ed in Medicinal Media (April 23, 2025): “Building Communities of Care in the Face of Adversity.” The piece articulates a bold, shared vision — that resilient communities are built not through isolated interventions, but through interconnected systems of care rooted in relationship, equity, and hope. The op-ed stands as a declaration from two leaders who are actively shaping national discourse on childhood adversity. Read the full article here.
“I AM SO HAPPY TO BE HERE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS MODEL, AND I JUST LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A PARTNER TO YOU ALL AS YOU ARE DRIVING FORWARD.” DR. NADINE BURKE HARRIS
New Initiatives & Partnerships — Expanding the Model for HOPE and Change
CFCC’s model of care is not just growing — it’s being validated and replicated. The HOPEful Families Curriculum, a 12-session caregiver group program, launched with immediate community uptake.
Now, researchers at the University of Texas are independently studying its impact — a landmark proof point that this model is rigorous, exportable, and built to scale.
Alongside it, a HOPEful Youth Psychoeducational Groups Curriculum is in development, extending the reach of HOPE-informed care to younger populations.
At the foundation of it all: the newly updated A Way of Being with Children pre-K manual. This living document — a trauma- and HOPE-informed guide to building safe, nurturing relationships — equips caregivers, educators, and professionals to respond with empathy, deepen connection, and create the conditions where children feel seen, supported, and ready to thrive. It is not just a manual; it is the philosophical backbone of CFCC’s entire public health approach.
CFCC University launched in October 2025, bringing organization-wide professional learning under one roof. Built to ensure every CFCC team member is equipped with the knowledge and tools to deliver excellence, the platform signals CFCC’s investment in its people as the engine of its mission.
MORE MILESTONES THIS YEAR:
• A new partnership with Jupiter Pediatric Associates is already generating referrals.
• Project BRAVE celebrated its first anniversary, meeting and exceeding all data goals.
The Early Childhood Social-Emotional Supports (ECSES) program, funded by the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, launched this year to strengthen social-emotional well-being in publicly funded childcare settings.
ECSES delivers classroom consultation, teacher coaching, and family support to meet educators and families where they are.
HOPE IS NO LONGER JUST A FRAMEWORK. IT’S A MOVEMENT, AND CFCC IS BUILDING THE MODEL.
• A new Family Visitation Center opened its doors — a safe, healing space for families rebuilding connection.
• The Emotion Explorers Club completed its first Kindergarten cohort in November, with Part 2 underway.
BEING THERE:
Lead the Fight
A DECADE OF SHOWING UP
“Previous generations dramatically reduced hunger, disease and war as the science and resources became available. In doing so they uplifted humanity. We are the generation that can end abuse and neglect.”
Benjamin Perks
Ten years ago, CFCC sounded an alarm. This is a community crisis, its leaders said. Children are falling apart, suffering. ACEs are not destiny — but only if we fight.
A decade later, the fight is louder, broader, bolder. And the world is listening.
In 2025, Lead the Fight brought not one – but two – global voices to Palm Beach County — voices that chose CFCC as their platform precisely because of what is being built here. In February, former California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris stood at the Kravis Center before hundreds of advocates and said what partners across the country are beginning to say: I want to be part of this.
In September, Benjamin Perks — a globally recognized leader in ACEs prevention and child rights, known for his landmark work at the UN and UNICEF — gathered leaders, clinicians, and advocates at The Breakers for a conversation called Building a TraumaProof World. The event streamed live to a wide virtual audience. The Boca Raton Tribune called it a moment when a UN leader came to “laud” what Palm Beach County is doing. The Palm Beach Daily News declared it a call to action on ending child trauma.
These are not small gestures. When world-stage figures travel to a community to affirm its model, something meaningful is happening. CFCC has earned a seat at a national — and now international — table.
BEING THERE:
From the Very Beginning: Celebrate Babies
Being there for a child often starts before the child can speak. The Celebrate Babies 2025 Virtual Summit, hosted in partnership with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies of Palm Beach County, brought together professionals from around the world to explore how the earliest moments in life — beginning in the perinatal period — shape lifelong health, relationships, and resilience.
World-renowned parenting expert and The Power of Showing Up co-author Dr. Tina Payne Bryson headlined the event alongside leading perinatal psychiatrist Dr. Nancy Byatt — two voices reminding us that the fight begins at birth.
Miss the event? Visit bekidsafe.org to replay the event.
The Data Fueling the Fight
The numbers from CFCC’s proprietary Data Dashboard tell a clear story: the need is real, the reach is growing, and the model is working.
Info = IMPACT
13,000+ clients tracked in CFCC’s Data Dashboard
26% more children gained access to care by the third quarter of 2025
Waitlist held under 200 clients since May 2024
500+ PBSO officers trained in trauma-informed/ HOPE care in 2025
#1 PBSO Crisis Intervention Partner of the Year
The intake team’s breakthrough in Q3 — a 26% increase in children reaching care — stands as proof that reducing barriers works. CFCC’s sustained effort to keep the waitlist low while expanding services is a quiet operational triumph with very loud results for families.
#1 THE PALM BEACH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
NAMED CFCC THE #1 CRISIS INTERVENTION PARTNER OF THE YEAR
BEING THERE:
Expanding HOPE
PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES TRANSFORMING CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
2025 was a year of expansion — in reach, in programs, and in the lives of the children and families CFCC serves.
Here is what Being There looked like, program by program.
Mobile HOPE Unit
Launched June 17, 2025, the 25-foot Mobile HOPE Unit is bringing therapy, mental health screenings, and group support directly into neighborhoods across Palm Beach County, furthering the initiative behind CEO Renée Layman’s words, “we don’t have to wait for children to fall apart before we do something.”
Child First
108 families are currently served across programs. An Early Childhood Court partnership, a new Creole-speaking clinician serving south county, and a decade of committed leadership under Senior Clinical Director Clarissa — now passing the torch to the next generation of care.
Get SNAP®
The SNAP Fatherhood Initiative made its mark in its very first semester: eight fathers and their children (ages 6–11) came together in a free, trauma-informed program that built trust, strengthened bonds, and gave fathers the tools to show up differently for their kids.
SNAP®’s reach also extended into new territory through an expanded partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice, launching traumainformed SNAP groups in West Palm Beach and Belle Glade. A third group launched ahead of schedule — a signal that the need is real and CFCC is ready to meet it.
Pediatric Integration
Surpassed its contract outcomes and served more clients than ever before. A new contract launched in the new fiscal year — a sign of what’s possible when behavioral and physical health are treated as one.
Project BRAVE
This SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) federal grant project bringing CFCC’s public health approach in mitigating ACEs to Palm Beach County marked its first anniversary in October 2025 — and met every data goal ahead of schedule. A testament to what dedicated, missiondriven teams can accomplish.
WHEN A 6-YEAR-OLD WAS PLACED WITH HER FATHER AFTER HER MOTHER LOST CUSTODY, BOTH ENTERED SNAP FEELING LOST. THREE WEEKS OF STRUGGLE SLOWLY GAVE WAY TO TRUST — AND BY THE PROGRAM’S END, FATHER AND DAUGHTER HAD FOUND A SHARED LANGUAGE ROOTED IN UNDERSTANDING AND LOVE. WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT, FAMILIES CAN HEAL AND GROW STRONGER — TOGETHER.
I knew anger. I knew pain.
Until Center for Child Counseling helped me know something different – patience, compassion, hope, and healing.
BEING THERE:
Shawn’s Story
At 15, Shawn had already endured more trauma than most face in a lifetime. Referred by his pediatrician for extensive trauma, difficulty managing anger, and ADHD symptoms, he arrived carrying a weight that left him overwhelmed and out of control. That’s when he met his therapist at Center for Child Counseling.
Over the next two and a half years, they worked together — processing painful memories, navigating new challenges that arose mid-treatment, building the coping skills Shawn needed to manage anger and find his footing. The impact wasn’t invisible. His guardian called his therapist “his biggest cheerleader — and mine as well. She really is an angel here on earth.”
When Shawn’s family shared that they needed more support, a CFCC Care Coordinator stepped in — connecting them with mentoring services and legal assistance to stabilize the home. By the time services ended, Shawn’s guardian described him as “a totally different kid.”
“CENTER FOR CHILD COUNSELING HAS LEFT A LASTING FOOTPRINT ON OUR HEARTS AND LIVES.”
SHAWN’S GUARDIAN
The Act of Spreading Hope: CFCC in the Community — A Year in the News
Humbled, Grateful for Recognition
In 2025, CFCC’s impact was felt far beyond its doors — and the broader community took notice.
Florida Weekly named CFCC a Business of Distinction in October 2025, a recognition of organizational excellence that reflects the caliber of work happening every day. That same spirit of distinction earned CFCC the honor of Best Place to Connect Children with HOPE from Florida Weekly in May.
And through Nonprofits First, CFCC earned Accreditation for Excellence in Nonprofit Management in 2025 — affirming that the organization leads not only with heart, but with rigor.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office recognized CFCC as its Crisis Intervention Partner of the Year in November 2025 — a testament to a partnership that trained more than 500 officers in trauma-informed crisis response during the year alone. Palm Beach County’s Board of County Commissioners issued a formal proclamation in April, designating Child Abuse Prevention Month and underscoring the county’s alignment with CFCC’s mission.
Renée Layman — Leadership in the Community
CFCC’s CEO Renée Layman extended the organization’s reach through her own leadership in 2025. She was elected to the Board of Directors of the Palm Beach County Community Alliance and appointed President of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health in March — bringing CFCC’s perspective to the table at the highest levels of state advocacy.
Board Member of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services and Birth to 22, Renée shaped conversations about policy, practice, and the future of children’s services across Florida. Her coauthored op-ed with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris in Medicinal Media in April 2025 placed both leaders’ voices in a national dialogue on traumainformed care — one more reminder that CFCC’s influence extends well beyond Palm Beach County.
Along with world-renowned Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and Dr. Benjamin Perks choosing partnership with CFCC and Lead the Fight, our own board chair Eugenia Millender, FSU Assistant Dean of Research, was named to TIME magazine’s 2025 list of “The Closers” — a distinction awarded to leaders driving meaningful progress in health equity and population sciences. Millender’s recognition signals the caliber of the broader movement CFCC is part of. In the ecosystem of public health, these are the peers and partners who are reshaping what whole-child care looks like. Read the article here
Global & National Voices for CFCC
The most respected voices and supporters of child health and equity didn’t just reference CFCC’s work in 2025 — they showed up for it, and expanded it.
In October 2025, the Palm Beach Post reported that the Related Ross Foundation — the philanthropic arm of real estate developer Stephen Ross — was expanding its focus to West Palm Beach charities, with CFCC named among a curated group of selected beneficiaries.
With a mission centered on education, employment, community well-being, and culture in West Palm Beach’s historic communities, the foundation pledged more than $10 million in charitable contributions in 2025. CFCC was selected alongside Rohi’s Readery, Cox Science Center, Habitat for Humanity, and Legal Aid — organizations that together represent a vision of community wholehealth that aligns squarely with CFCC’s own.
“TO
BE CHOSEN BY THE NEW PHILANTHROPIC POWERHOUSE OF RELATED ROSS FOUNDATION IS MORE THAN A FUNDING MILESTONE, IT’S A STATEMENT OF TRUST — AND OF CFCC’S RECOGNIZED PLACE AS AN
Belief in Motion
Hope does not arrive on its own. It travels — carried by the people who choose to show up, to give, to lead, and to gather. In 2025, CFCC was sustained and propelled by a community of believers: board members who lend their expertise, donors whose generosity makes the impossible possible, and partners who recognize that children’s mental health is everyone’s responsibility.
A New Voice at the Table
When the Center for Child Counseling welcomes a new board member, it gains more than a name — it gains perspective, networks, and lived commitment to community.
This year, that voice belongs to Vicki Chouris. Chouris, who recently retired
after six years as President and CEO of the South Florida Fair, joins the board as someone who has spent her career building institutions that bring people together. Recognized in the Palm Beach Post’s December 2025 “Newsmakers & Shakers” feature, her appointment reflects a professional legacy rooted in deep community investment — and a personal one, too. As CFCC shared in October: “Vicki has been a longtime supporter of our mission and brings with her a wealth of experience and deep passion for our community.”
Her arrival signals what the best board recruitment always does: that the mission is compelling enough to draw leaders who could serve anywhere — and choose here.
The Circle of Giving: Learning as an Act of Leadership
CFCC’s Circle of Giving is more than a donor group — it is a community of people who believe that understanding the problem is part of solving it. In January 2025, Circle members gathered to explore CFCC’s Data to Action approach and the organization’s Data Dashboard, diving into the evidence behind the work. By March, the conversation had deepened further, with a full session on mental health systems, government structure, and public policy.
This is what engaged philanthropy looks like: donors who don’t just write checks, but ask hard questions and carry those conversations back into their own spheres of influence.
They Saw It Before It Existed
Every transformational program has a moment of origin — a point when it existed only as an idea, and someone chose to believe in it anyway. The Mobile HOPE Unit has that story.
Before the unit was built, before it rolled into a single neighborhood or opened its doors to a single child, one family saw the vision clearly enough to fund it. Their gift — offered in the quiet space between possibility and proof — is what made “being there” literal. Because of their belief, CFCC can bring counseling, healing, and hope directly to the communities that need it most, without asking families to find their way to us first.
Their generosity is not just a donor story. It is the origin story of the Mobile HOPE Unit itself.
EVENTS THAT RAISED SUPPORT – AND SPIRITS – IN 2025
Each event CFCC hosts is an act of community-building — a chance to deeply connect the people who care about children’s mental health with the work being done through their support. These gatherings do what CFCC has always done: bring people together around what matters to make amazing things happen.
Lead the Fight 10th Anniversary
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
Kravis Center
February
Lead the Fight
Dr. Benjamin Perks
The Breakers
September
Celebrate Babies Virtual Summit
Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
October
Gratitude Gathering
Child and Family Center
November
Baubles & Baskets
Salute Market
December
“THEY SAW OUR VISION – AND MADE IT ROLL.”
RENÉE LAYMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO
BEING THERE:
Leaders and Donors Make All the Difference
Incomparable Champions for Children: CFCC Board of Directors
Smart, strong, compassionate, accomplished — these words describe the leadership that 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
Vicki Chouris
Justin Perry, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Renée E. Layman, MS, LMHC
HOPE isn’t distant–it’s being shaped right now, by people like you.
The Donor Difference
The level of growth and impact CFCC achieved in 2025 is a direct result of the extraordinary belief and commitment our generous donors have in our mission and the children we serve together.
$100,000 and above
Patsy Mintmire
$25,000 and above
Julie Fisher Cummings
$10,000 and above
Jane J. Robinson
Lisa LaFrance
Shirley Brostmeyer
$5,000 and above
Justice Barbara J. Pariente
Emilia Fanjul
Jeffrey Petrone
Thomas and Danielle McDonald Family
$1,000 and above
Abraham Anzardo
Christina Butler
Dana Brookes
Deana McCrea
Denise J. Bleau
Derek Shipes
Jacquie Stephens
Jessica Cecere
John F. Koons
Kate Wagner
Keith Diego
Margaret Donnelley
Marjorie Fisher
Nancy Feiwel
Perry Borman
Robert Settle
Dr. Shannon Fox Levine
Stewart Hinckley
Vicki Price
Wendy Bingham
$500 and above
Andrew Samson
Barry Lowy
Beth Linzner
Cam Reese
Ilene Solomon Silber
Janice Spritz
Jennifer Costea
Jim Fehr
Jodie Petrone
Laura Daley
Lorraine Rocamboli
Michelle Kirk
Patrick Borrico
Sydney Mee
Circle of Giving Donors 2025
Believers and investors in HOPE who go beyond giving to learn, advocate, and lead alongside CFCC.
Abraham Anzardo
Abby Baker
Matthew Baker
Cheryl Baldwin
Eileen Berman
Laura Bessinger
Denise Bleau
Shirley Brostmeyer
Christina Butler
Jessica Cecere
Keith Diego
Margaret Donnelley
Nancy Feiwel
James Gilligan
Melissa Haley
Brian Hyndman
Lisa LaFrance
Renée Layman
Tami Lesser
Deana McCrea
Karry Meshberg
Sam Meshberg
Jeffrey Petrone
Jodie Petrone
Vicki Price
Doug Pridgen
Lisa Russo
Robert Settle
Derek Shipes
Erich Speckin
Jacquie Stephens
Eddie Stephens Esq.
Karen Young
Each grant funded, every dollar awarded, is stewarded in alignment with the mutual goals of Center for Child Counseling and our partners to innovate ways of improving the mental health and wellness of children and families. We are ever grateful for your trust and support.
Corporate Sponsors 2025
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. We are filled with gratitude that you choose to stand with the children and families of CFCC.
Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County
The Breakers Palm Beach
Valley National Bank
GL Homes
InfoStream, Inc.
Stephens & Stevens, PLLC
Hanley Center Foundation
Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County
Florida Crystals Corp
The GEO Group Foundation Inc.
FineMark National Bank & Trust
Pool Tek of the Palm Beaches, LLC
Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA
Sanofi
Mead Johnson Nutrition
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
AmeriHealth Caritas Florida
Femwell Group Health, LLC
American Academy of Pediatrics
Mint Eco Car Wash
Related Ross
Bradley Barry Inc
Gumbo Limbo Gifts
Benvenuto
Painting with a Twist
Pura Vida
Under $100
O’Shea’s Irish Pub
The Palm House (Formerly Hurricane Cafe)
The Woods Jupiter
June Beach Cafe
Winn-Dixie
$9,500.00
$15,000.00
$12,500.00
$9,821.50
$7,572.40
$6,700.00
$6,000.00
$5,900.00
$5,000.00
$5,000.00
$3,000.00
$3,000.00
$3,000.00
$2,000.00
$1,500.00
$1,020.00
$1,000.00
$1,000.00
$600.00
$575.00
$200.00
$200.00
$110.00
$100.00
$100.00
$100.00
With Heartfelt Recognition We are profoundly grateful to Kathy and Paul Leone, whose generosity brings the Center for Child Counseling community together at one of the world’s most storied destinations — the Breakers Palm Beach. Year after year, they open their doors not just to an event, but to a cause. The result is an experience that is both unforgettable and meaningful, for children who need it most. Thank you, Paul and Kathy — for the space, the hospitality, and the belief.
BEING THERE FOR THE FUTURE:
Financial Growth and Strength in Perpetuity
Center for Child Counseling achieved meaningful financial growth in fiscal year 2025, with total revenue reaching $8.3 million — representing a 4.4% increase over fiscal year 2024.
This growth reflects rising demand for CFCC services and deepening confidence in the organization’s mission to build trauma-informed communities where every child can thrive.
Support & Revenue
Change in Net Assets: $368,793
Financial Breakdown by Service Priority CFCC resources are stewarded to push impact across core program areas:
Our Commitment to Trust and Transparency
Center for Child Counseling holds Nonprofits First Accreditation for Excellence, a Platinum rating on Candid, and a 4-Star rating on Charity Navigator. Complete audited financials available at centerforchildcounseling.org/transparency Center for Child Counseling is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: available upon request.
Key Highlights
Strong Program Efficiency
80% of our resources directly fund program services, ensuring maximum impact for every dollar invested.
Diversified Revenue
Our funding portfolio spans reimbursement contracts (44%), grants (13%), government funds (10%), contributions (11%), program fees (9%), in-kind (4%), and investment
income (2%) — providing stability and sustainability across multiple streams.
Investment Growth
Our beneficial interest in assets held by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties grew from $367,375 to $409,074, strengthening CFCC’s long-term financial foundation.
Reserves & Infrastructure
CFCC maintained strong cash reserves of $4.4 million and made a significant
capital investment — acquiring the Mobile HOPE Unit vehicle ($265,265) — a tangible embodiment of the Being There objective.
Data Dashboard: What Your Dollars Do
Your gift to CFCC fuels an engine that drives real-time data into targeted action and compassionate help. The Top 3 concerns of children and teens receiving your support in 2025 were:
1. emotional coping
2. behavioral issues
3. family conflict
Being There. Spreading HOPE.
HOPE IS NOT PASSIVE.
HOPE* is an act of bravery – a choice to show up, speak up, and make life better wherever you’re needed.
Spreading hope is about being there.
* The HOPE framework: Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences. LEARN MORE at centerforchildcounseling.org
8895 N. Military Trail, Suite 300C Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 561.244.9499 centerforchildcounseling.org
