The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative is expanding its focus on addressing generational childhood poverty by working at the zip-code level to create pathways to prosperity and self-sufficiency. Heather Cogar, Statewide Director of Community Engagement for the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida Prosperity Initiative, highlighted her personal experiences and the importance of community collaboration in this effort. “Growing up in the challenges of the foster care system, serving as a Deputy Sheriff and running a small business have all taught me that the Florida Prosperity Initiative’s approach is the right one and I’m looking forward to partnering with more and more business and community leaders as we continue to change lives,” said Cogar. “Every child deserves the chance to thrive, and by working hand-in-hand with business and community leaders we can remove barriers that hold families back and build a future where opportunity is within reach for all Floridians, regardless of their zip code.”
Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, has advocated for targeted strategies to break cycles of poverty since 2016. The Prosperity Initiative uses a zip code-based model recognized nationally for tackling ten root causes of poverty through neighborhood solutions.
David Vincent, Citrus County Sheriff, spoke about Cogar’s qualifications: “My wife and I have known Heather Cogar for approximately 15 years, and her life experiences are defined by resilience, perseverance and overcoming obstacles. As a person, she has been impacted by the foster care system and therapeutic treatment centers like those at Camp E-Nini-Hassee in Floral City, FL. I am confident that her unique set of personal and professional experiences have prepared her to be a fierce advocate for children, while helping them find a pathway to prosperity they otherwise wouldn’t have had.”
Wilson noted the scale of childhood poverty in Florida: “Right now, there are more than 714,000 Florida children living in poverty. In a state that has the 16th largest economy in the world and continues to create jobs higher than the national average, replacing poverty with prosperity is not only imperative, it’s the right thing to do and having Heather building support in every community of Florida will be a game changer for our Florida Prosperity Initiative and so many kids and communities.”
The initiative operates with support from its advisory board as well as business leaders across Florida. Karen Moore, Founder & CEO of The Moore Agency and Incoming Chair-Elect of the Florida Chamber Foundation stated: “With 983 zip codes and more than half of our 714,768 children living in poverty in just 15 percent (150) of Florida’s zip codes, the Florida Prosperity Initiative is connecting every community to leverage partnerships aimed at helping families move from a life of barriers and dependence to one of prosperity and self-sufficiency. The Moore Agency is a proud supporter of this work.”
At recent events such as May’s Florida Prosperity & Economic Opportunity Solution Summit, several state leaders expressed their support for collaborative efforts against generational poverty.
Casey DeSantis, First Lady of Florida– “We can do so much more if we are working together, we know the mission, and we are working for the individual.”
Tim Marks, President and Chief Officer of Metropolitan Ministries– “Remember the opening comments by Mark? He talked about Prosperity, he talked about GDP, and then he paused and said, however. In this room, there are folks in the public sector, private sector, faith community, nonprofits. And all of us care about the however.”
John Rivers, owner of 4 Rivers Smokehouse– “The fact that you are here, you are part of the Prosperity Committee and the Initiative that they are doing and says a lot about your heart and your priorities are as a company and an individual. So thank you.”
The initiative seeks to cut childhood poverty in half by addressing root causes at local levels through coordinated efforts among businesses, policymakers, nonprofits,and other stakeholders.
More information about these efforts can be found at www.flchamber.com/flprosperityinitiative.
The Florida Chamber Foundation works statewide on long-term strategies aimed at economic growth,supporting job creation,and enhancing quality-of-life measures throughout Florida.
