Avita Hill: An Outreach Team of One

Going It Alone after Budget Cuts
 

12 March 2008

By Thomas L. Weitzel, LSF staff writer

The Outreach Team for the Southwest Region’s Non-Residential Youth Services program of Lutheran Services Florida usually consists of more than one person.

It’s a big responsibility, according to the program manager Mary Ellen Saba, that includes “reaching out to troubled youth and families, contacting businesses to become Safe Place program sites, contacting community providers to establish working relationships and establish interagency agreements, helping youth and families to access services at LSF” – and doing so over a five county area.

Last fall, however, LSF had some major funding cuts that necessarily required staff reductions in various departments across the whole organization.

“We had two staff members in the Outreach Department and both had just recently returned from family medical leave,” said Ms. Saba. “Then we were faced with the budget cuts.  It was very sad when the staff member who had been with the agency longer found other employment.”

What remained for the Outreach Team was one person, Alvita Hill, who had only become part of the department earlier in the year.  Although she had joined LSF in July of 2006, she was still learning her way around the Outreach Department when the cut backs came late in 2007.

“She thought she was going to be working on a team, and shortly found she would be alone,” said Ms. Saba. “Usually when I think of a team or a department or a program, I think of more than one person.  But Alvita had to be a team of one.”

EVEN MORE PRESSURE

If the pressure of the whole departmental load on one person wasn’t enough, more was soon to come as the fall went on.

According to Mary Ellen Saba, “We had several program audits and found we were significantly behind on the outreach goals.”

That, of course, meant more work for Alvita and a shorter amount of time to do it in.

And yet, “through all these changes, she never complained, never had a defeated attitude,” said Ms. Saba in praising Alvita’s work.  “Instead she plugged along, reaching and even exceeding all the contract goals by year’s end.”

Alvita did more than just reach program goals, though.  She also found ways to work with other programs like the LSF youth shelters, asking staff to take the youth to various community festivals. And she worked with foster care recruitment to join her on outreach events.

“Alvita Hill has done an overall outstanding job with the Outreach Department by reaching her goals and working with other departments to make a team when none existed,” said Ms. Saba in summary. “We owe Alvita a big thank you for being a ‘team player’ and having such a positive outlook and great attitude!”
 

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