Sometimes, recognition gives us an opportunity to stop for a moment and look at how far we have come.
This year, Parenting Matters was honored to be named a finalist for the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year Award. While we did not take home the award, being selected as a finalist among organizations doing incredible work throughout Manatee County is something we are deeply proud of.
The Chamber evaluates nonprofit nominees on leadership, innovation, growth and productivity, and community impact. For us, those words represent much more than organizational accomplishments. They reflect the families who invite us into their homes, the parents who show up ready to learn something new, the children building stronger connections with their caregivers, and the staff who walk alongside families through both everyday challenges and some of life’s most difficult moments.
Over the past year alone, Parenting Matters supported more than 600 parents and over 850 children in Manatee County through in-home services, community classes, workshops, and early learning opportunities. In our Parent Partner Program, 96% of participating families achieved strengthened protective factors and had no verified parenting-related abuse reports within 12 months of completing the program.
Those numbers matter, but the change behind them matters even more.
It is the parent who begins services feeling overwhelmed and ends feeling confident in the choices they are making for their child. It is the caregiver who comes to Musical Motion looking for an activity for their toddler and discovers tools that make routines at home a little easier. It is an adoptive family navigating trauma and challenging behaviors that finds support, understanding, and a path forward through Chosen Families.
Being named a finalist is also a reflection of the community that surrounds this work. Our donors, funders, volunteers, board members, referral partners, and fellow community organizations make it possible for families to access support when they need it, often at a time when asking for help can feel especially difficult.
We are grateful to the Manatee Chamber of Commerce for this recognition and proud to stand alongside the many businesses and nonprofit organizations working every day to make Manatee County stronger.
Most of all, we are grateful to the families who trust Parenting Matters to be part of their journey. This recognition belongs to them, too.
