Peace River Center is an agency striving to impact the lives of our clients and the community we serve by engaging, restoring, and empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential by offering a broad range of mental health and substance use disorder services as well as victim services throughout Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. With 27 locations, 30 programs and accreditation from The Joint Commission and licensed by ACHA and DCF we are one of the largest behavioral health agencies in Florida. Our Mobile Mental Health Crisis Response Team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are in need of a crisis counselor, please call the Peace River Crisis Response Team Hotline at (863) 519-3744. For more information about Peace River Center, please visit our website peacerivercenter.org.

PRIDE is a self-funded enterprise whose mission makes a positive difference in Florida. We make communities safer and save taxpayers money by training eligible inmates in vocational skills and transitioning them into the job market upon completion of their sentences. This job-centered approach lowers the number of repeat offenders and reduces criminal justice costs for all citizens. Customers invest in Florida when they purchase PRIDE products and services by starting the training-to-job cycle. PRIDE is not run for a profit; instead we combine enterprise with social mission to create a positive impact on communities, people, and customers. For over 30 years PRIDE has helped keep Florida communities safe by significantly reducing recidivism rates of ex-offenders. Inmates receive real world skills through over 40 job training centers offering hundreds of certifications that prepare them for re-entry as productive citizens. Inmates that participate in PRIDE training programs are three times less likely to commit a new offense upon release from a correctional institution than non-participants. PRIDE is the only private program of its type in the US and operates as a not-for-profit corporation, with board oversight, to fulfill four missions defined by Florida statute. PRIDE is funded exclusively through the net proceeds from sales of products and services manufactured by PRIDE inmate training programs. PRIDE serves as a model example of the privatization of government functions and reduces the cost of state government for Florida's taxpayers by millions of dollars every year.

The mission of Children First is to strengthen children and families by improving the quality of their lives through a comprehensive approach to development, education, health, and well-being. This statement reflects the organization’s underlying aspiration for the successful achievement of Head Start and Early Head Start goals and objectives, and our main priority of kindergarten readiness for the children we serve. Children First Inc. holds the distinction of being a four-time Head Start “Program of Excellence.” Our agency is one of two to received this coveted designation four consecutive times, ranking our program in the top 1% of more than 1,800 nationwide. This designation is awarded to Head Start organizations that consistently demonstrate excellence in program management and service performance, and that continually support the achievement of robust outcomes for at-risk children birth to five years-old, pregnant women, families, and their communities. They must demonstrate financial integrity, program accountability, innovation, compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and other regulations, and comprehensive quality. Only nine other Head Start organizations throughout the country have achieved this level of recognition. Children First is honored to serve children and strengthen families. Our continuous commitment to the mission has been made possible by our generous community and for that we are deeply grateful.

ACTS offers treatment to improve health through personal and family centered recovery practices. Our mission is to provide and manage a broad array of human services to include prevention, acute care and stabilization, treatment and supportive services in the arenas of substance abuse, co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness, child protection, delinquency, criminal justice, housing, economic self-sufficiency and health and wellness. By keeping our programs specialized, we establish a solid bond that not only helps those we serve recover from their addiction and improve mental health, but also lays the groundwork for a lifetime of continuing care that gives the best chance of permanent recovery and freedom in supportive setting. Professional, well-trained individuals at the treatment programs for adults and youth not only have the expertise, knowledge and experience necessary to effectively assist you in your recovery, but more importantly, they share a welcoming, non-judgmental attitude toward the recovery process. This atmosphere – cutting-edge clinical standards that far surpass industry standards – encourages effective, long-term recovery for clients in all occupational, legal, and social situations. At ACTS, we treat individuals and families with primary substance abuse/alcohol problems and also persons with secondary co-occurring mental disorders. We treat everyone we serve with personal attention and compassion. Our programs are based on best practice to ensure everyone receives the best quality of care.

Senior Friendship Centers is a nonprofit organization serving older adults in four counties in Southwest Florida. We are THE safety net for close to 15,000 seniors living in our service area, providing over a half-million individual “units of service” to older adults in the areas of medical and dental services, caregiving, meals, exercise classes, lifelong learning, economic assistance, and socialization. Through state and local partnerships, we were able to improve the health of thousands of uninsured seniors on limited incomes. Tens of thousands of older adults in Southwest Florida have benefited from the Senior Friendship Centers’ programs and services since our founding in 1973 by Brother William Geenen, a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross Order of Notre Dame University (C.S.C.). As an organization, our goals are to: -Empower older adults to live active, healthy lives to improve all aspects of health. -Promote good nutrition and physical activity to maintain healthy lifestyles. -Provide crisis/supportive intervention and help promote financial stability through education and community resources. -Allow older people to maintain their independence and live in their own homes for as long as possible. A belief in “People Helping People,” has been the foundation of Senior Friendship Centers for more than four decades. Volunteers serve in nearly every facet of the organization. Our award-winning centers and our clinics have drawn national and international attention as models for the delivery of programs and services to older adults.

Safe Children Coalition, Inc. provides services for 5,000 children and families in following programs: · Adoptions and Foster Care · Prevention and Diversion · Youth Shelter for runaway teens · HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) · Schoolhouse Link for homeless students in grades K - 12 · Achievers for middle and high school students exploring college and career readiness for first generation and low income students · Adventure Club After School Program · Youth Prevention Services providing counseling to truant, ungovernable, runaway, and homeless youth

Senior Connection Center, Inc. (SCC) is Your Aging & Disability Resource Center. Formerly known as the West Central Florida Area Agency on Aging, Inc., SCC serves as the local Area Agency on Aging / Aging and Disability Resource Center for Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties. The mission of SCC is to help older adults and persons with disabilities live with independence and dignity.

When people lose vision, it’s easy to lose hope. When veterans lose hope, it’s easy to give up. It’s easy to let the darkness define life instead of living life to its fullest. That’s why we develop extraordinary partnerships between our dogs and the people who need them, and offer our dogs and services at no cost, throughout the United States. We operate the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. We create elite working dogs and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military. Southeastern Guide Dogs transforms lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs, throughout the United States. A nonprofit with a national reach, we train dogs of the highest pedigree for people who are blind and for veterans, providing our premier dogs and lifetime services at no cost, without government funds.​ We've matched more than 3,100 guide and service dog teams since our 1982 inception, and currently have over 1,000 dogs under our auspices. Learn more.

Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc. (CFBHN) is a not for profit 501 (c ) (3) community services network incorporated in 1997. While starting as a collaboration of substance abuse providers in Hillsborough County, CFBHN has moved into whole health and wellness services. Among our goals, we are striving to establish CFBHN as a recognized leader in disease management; responding to the increasing demand for measurable cost savings, production of outcomes, greater access to services by consumers, as well as the full implementation of an integrated approach to systems of care. We promote readiness among network providers toward integration of heathcare services across the system of care.

The Early Learning Coalition of Polk County provides leadership, direction, and integrated resource management for quality services that support our vision for all children enter school healthy, ready, and eager for life-long learning with the collaborative support of parents, families, educators, and the community.

Connecting employers with qualified, skilled talent and job seekers with employment and career development opportunities in Polk County, Florida. www.careersourcepolk.com CareerSource Polk provides employment and training-related services at no cost to you. Thousands of people each year use the services of CareerSource Polk to find jobs and build their careers, with the freedom to choose the information and services they need. Below are just a few of the services are available to you: • Access to computers, fax machines, and phones for your job search • Resume and job search assistance by trained professionals • Career development and tuition assistance • Online job posting and screening of candidates • Training grants to offset the cost of hiring new employees or upgrading the skills of your existing workforce • Youth program for ages 16 to 24 • Specialized veteran services For more information, visit careersourcepolk.com or call 863.508.1100. CareerSource Polk is an equal opportunity employer. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this Facebook page may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711. For program funding details in compliance with the Stevens Amendment, please visit http://cspolk.info/funding.

SPARCC's mission is to stop domestic and sexual violence in our communities. Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center, Inc. (SPARCC) was formed as a non-profit agency in 1979. SPARCC is the only state-certified center for domestic violence and sexual assault services for Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. All of SPARCC’s services are free and confidential. In addition to serving victims, SPARCC is actively engaged in promoting social change through community awareness and education, in an effort to prevent such violence in the future. SPARCC serves its clients through an Outreach Center in downtown Sarasota, satellite offices in south Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, a shelter operating 24 hours a day/365 days a year and at the local courthouses.