Finding a long-term location for the Children’s Trust of Alachua County was a top priority for Executive Director Marsha Kiner.
It’s why community leaders and families gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to celebrate the Children’s Trust’s new facility.
“There is no place like home,” Kiner said. “To have a place that we can call home, and to be able to offer a space to community groups, I know how valuable that is.”
With expanded space, Kiner hopes the facility will better serve the Children’s Trust’s needs and allow community members to utilize the space.
Since its inception, the Children’s Trust rented space until purchasing the building located at 4010 NW 25th Place in January 2024.
Kiner said the new building provides a stable and long-term space.
“I think anytime you’re renting a space, you are aware that you’re not in a permanent home,” Kiner said.
With a larger conference room, the Children’s Trust can now host all of its public meetings in one dedicated space.
Kiner added that this is an additional space for the community to rent, free of charge.
Volunteer Lauren Griffin described the building as a new beginning.
“I know now that we have an actual facility, so much more can be achieved,” Griffin said.
Attendee Shanti Vani, who came with her two great-grandchildren, said the Children’s Trust provides services that otherwise would not be available to the community.
“These are really hard times for us and it’s so wonderful to come out and join in the community and be reminded of all the great people we have and all the good,” Vani said.
In 2024, the Children’s Trust funded 80 community programs that served over 25,000 people, including 21,118 children, according to the organization’s website.
Buchholz High School senior and TeensWork Alachua intern Aniya Williams spoke at the ceremony.
Williams said the Children’s Trust’s mission is to help students and young adults.
“I think it’s amazing because it helps the adults see that there is a lot of work going on that they’re putting into their children or grandchildren,” Williams said. “The children that are out here are able to have fun, but they’re also able to see, ‘Wow, I can do these things as well. I can be a speaker. I can go to college.’”
Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell joined Kiner, Williams and local youth and community leaders in speaking at the ceremony.
Children from local organizations, including The Star Center Theater and The Gainesville Circus Center, performed as part of the celebration.
Children and families also enjoyed food trucks, face painting and balloon animals.
For Kiner, the impact extends beyond the new building. She received a letter from a family that recently had a baby, thanking the Children’s Trust for supporting them through its newborn program.
The NewboRN Home Visiting Program, one of the many programs funded by the Children’s Trust, offers free in-home visits from a registered nurse or midwife to assist new mothers and connect families to services and resources.
“The letter literally said, ‘Thank you so much, we didn’t know this program existed, and it was beautiful,’” Kiner said.
Kiner emphasized what the program means to her.
“Programs like that make a difference, and I’m so proud that we sponsor that,” she said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
