Safe Children Coalition Announces 2024 Champions for Children

December 6, 2023 – Sarasota

Earlier this year, child welfare organization Safe Children Coalition presented its first-ever Giving Breakfast, during which four “Champions for Children” were recognized for their contributions to caring for children in our community as well as for their support and advocacy on behalf of Safe Children Coalition. In March of 2024, the organization will present its 2nd annual Giving Breakfast, during which Joan and Bob Geyer, Graci McGillicuddy and Melissa Larkin-Skinner will be recognized.

Joan and Bob Geyer, the founders of Academy at Glengary (Sarasota) and Academy at Bradenton, have supported our community for many years, personally and professionally. Joan’s longtime support and volunteerism for community-based care/child welfare issues as a Guardian Ad Litem, Family Safety Alliance member, and a volunteer with Safe Children Coalition aligns with her philosophy of “finding felt needs,” which exemplifies a commitment to providing support to those who are experiencing a gap in care, whether the advocacy is for children or adults experiencing mental illness. The mission of the Academy organizations is to create a working community where adults can improve mental health through friendship, healthy lifestyles, skill development and careers. 

Melissa Larkin-Skinner, CEO of Centerstone of Florida, has advocated for children and adults for three decades. What began as a volunteer assignment in the Rape Crisis Center led to work in outpatient, inpatient, crisis intervention, intensive community-based care, and child welfare. She designed and implemented the first children’s Community Action Treatment (CAT) team in 2004, adopted as Florida’s statewide model to serve youth struggling with severe mental health and behavioral disorders and their families. She led the rapid expansion of treatment services in response to the opioid epidemic, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in hospitals, clinics, and jail-based sites. She has been recognized as Administrator of the Year by the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (2016). She currently serves as the Board Chair for the Florida Behavioral Health Association, and serves as the Speaker of the House Representative on the State of Florida Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. 

Graci McGillicuddy has been a committed child advocate since 1986, when she read an article about an 18-month-old baby, Shannon Nicole, who died after her mother and stepfather brutally abused her. Ending child abuse became her lifelong calling. In 2017, she broke ground on the All Star Children’s Foundation’s Campus of Hope and Healing, which celebrated its grand opening in 2020. All Star is a state-of-the-art, 5-acre campus comprising six family-style foster homes as well as an on-site Pediatric Mental Health Treatment and Research Center. The campus is designed to provide trauma-informed treatment for children in foster care. Graci has received numerous awards for her commitment and dedication to keeping children safe, and is a recognized philanthropic leader in our community. She serves as Chair of the Board for All Star Children’s Foundation and as a board member for the Child Protection Center, where she previously spearheaded a $6 million capital campaign. 

The Giving Breakfast will take place on Thursday, March 14 at 8 a.m. at Michael’s On East (1212 East Avenue S., Sarasota). The Giving Breakfast is a sponsored event; sponsorships are now available and can be purchased online at sccfl.org/giving-breakfast. For questions regarding sponsorships and/or the event, contact Safe Children Coalition’s VP of communications & community engagement, Jacqueline House: jhouse@sccfl.org or 941-371-4799, ext. 1127.