We believe all children deserve to live in a family that provides food, shelter, love, and a nurturing environment. We believe all families deserve to live in a community that protects and supports them through policies and programs that ensure the greatest possible cognitive, emotional, social, and physical achievement. We believe that to empower families to meet the needs of the children and all the members of the family, the current system of community support should be more coordinated, comprehensive, accessible, and focused on prevention. We believe such a program must be based on the family concerns, priorities, and resources that build on the strengths of the family and the identification of formal and informal support systems which will provide any needed assistance. We believe that we must look to the family as the provider of a child's well-being and as a community to provide for those families who may be in need. The mission of the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center is to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Dothan/Houston County by providing coordinated, comprehensive, and accessible support services focused on prevention.

Father of three, Christopher is 26 years old. On January 23, 2023, Work Plus + Coordinator Nicholas Jones recommended that he use Work Plus + Workforce Development Services. Christopher wanted to pursue his CDL certification at the time and was unemployed. He was ready to launch his career by getting CDL certification to improve his family’s quality of life. He had the backing of his family and friends. In order to find work, Christopher registered in the 24/7 Dad program and went to the Career Center for resume-building and career skills training. On May 1, 2023, Christopher started his training at Believe Trucking Academy. Christopher quickly grasped the concept of the trucks various components. He was always ready to lend a hand to others around him. On July 14, 2023, Christopher received his CDL certification. Additionally, Christopher took part in the July 2023 Wiregrass United Way Campaign featuring the Alfred Saliba Family Service Center. As a truck driver, Christopher is presently working with Buffalo Rock. 

According to Christopher, he is learning the trucking business and liking it. Christopher is able to spend quality time with his family thanks to the rise in income. “I give Work Plus + a 10 out of 10, they assisted me in getting my license so that I can have a better future for me and my family,” says Christopher. I had the opportunity to meet others who shared my passion and hunger for the certification. I learned a lot form the parenting class on how to be a better father to my kids and their mother. “I am very grateful to the Work Plus + staff for their professionalism and encouragement throughout the entire process of getting my CDLs.” Christopher declared he would positively recommend the Work Plus + Workforce Development Program to others.

Since our inception in 1998, the focus of the Family Services Center of Coffee County has always been to help families to have the stability that they need to keep their children safe and nurtured until adulthood, In every case, this involves teaching families to build the protective factors that promote healthy development in children, better outcomes for families, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. Our programs and services include home visits for parent education and resource referrals, specialized teaching for pregnant and parenting teens, father-focused classes and services, programs for out of control youth and their families, free counseling, money management education, case management for resource referral, and professional development activities for nurses, social workers, and counselors. We recognize that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to working with fragile families so all of our services are very flexible and are specifically tailored to best meet the needs of the people that we serve. Our small staff of nine full-time and one part-time professional staff members could not possibly work with all of the Coffee County families who need us every day so we rely on trained volunteers, interns, and partner agencies to bridge the gap. Because of these strong partnerships, we can offer our families a tremendous range of talents and skills that would not otherwise be possible. One of the things we do best is to help families to identify their strengths so that they can build competencies based on these strengths. It is through these strengths that families can work to find creative solutions to overwhelmingly complex problems. Flexibility, teamwork, and knowledge make us valuable to our families and our partners.

Jimmy was court ordered to the Fatherhood program after serving twelve years in prison for drug trafficking. Jim had not paid child support for several years prior to incarceration and was threatened with jail time again if he did not begin paying. Reluctantly, he came to the first Fatherhood class and realized that his responsibility to his child and his child's mother was far more than a financial obligation. He also stated that he had no idea how to get a real job because his only job had been selling drugs. After attending a week of Employment Bootcamp at Family Services, he applied for CDL training and received a scholarship. After the training, he had difficulty finding a job due to his history but was hired by the truck driving school as an instructor. His employer is thrilled with his abilities and his motivation. Jim comes back to class regularly to encourage other fathers to overcome their obstacles and be a real father. He is now paying child support and is slowly building a relationship with his family

We are always working and striving to make the center a better and more active place for the seniors of the community to come and enjoy, meeting new friends and re-aquainting with some old friends that they haven't seen in a while.

We continue to see our center to grow as it has since opening back up in October 2022, to full time status, and continue to receive very positive feedback and input from all the seniors that come to the center.

The Senior Center gives the Seniors of our community somewhere to go , to overcome the loneliness that a lot of them feel sitting at home with no one to interact with.

The Senior Center continues to rely on others in the community to let us know when someone is in need. No one is ever turned away for any reason although sometimes it costs the center to make sure they get a meal, we always make away. We do have a waiting lis for homebound seniors due to having limited number of meals that can be delivered. The director is constantly working on outreach and increasing the membership especially to the seniors in need.

We at The East Geneva County Senior Center have been very blessed by the Wiregrass United Way over the years. We have received funding, a van, a handicapped accessible bus and a few appliances over time. We work towards raising money for Wiregrass United Way to help other organizations that need it also. Our Senior Center applies every year for the grants that are offered, when we get them we make purchases that we couldn't normally make for things to help with our jobs and make things easier for our Seniors. We appreciate everyone that gets out and helps to raise the money in the Wiregrass area, because it stays in the Wiregrass to help different organizations right here local, and there are a lot of other organizations you can give to and never know where your money went. The Senior Center here in Slocomb and other Centers in the area really benefit from your donations.

The mission of the Enterprise Public Library is to promote free and open access to information, materials, and services to all members of the community, inspire lifelong learning and creativity, and advance knowledge while enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Coffee County.

Wiregrass United Way donors are always encouraged to visit the Enterprise Public Library to see the return on their investment for the funding that we receive. The Enterprise Public Library has continued to show growth in patrons, our collections, programs, and services. EPL proudly provides resources to a new service area of 44,880 residents of Coffee County! This is an increase of 520 residents. We have made improvements to our facility in terms of furnishings and the comfort it provides. EPL had over 56,108 in-person visits last year and currently has 708 unique users on SEADL. We have over 33,218 cardholders and circulated over 126,354 pieces of materials last year. By investing in the library, WUW is investing in the Coffee County community.

Patrons of the Enterprise Public Library often express their appreciation for services provided that are necessary to conduct business. Below, is one of the letters we received from an educator of Coffee County. Ms. Lampley uses EPL to tutor students in a quiet, safe environment with resources needed to assist the kids in learning! 

To Whom It May Concern: 

I want to start by expressing my appreciation for the Enterprise Public Library's dependable availability to the citizens of Enterprise. It is beneficial and convenient to have an establishment such as the Enterprise library that provides effective services and useful resources that aid in completing personal tasks and assignments that are needed to improve one's lifestyle and accomplishing work and personal goals. 

My name is Donna Lampley and I am a daily patron of the Enterprise Public Library. I tutor 27 students from the Enterprise, Ft. Rucker, and Daleville City schools in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Seeing that I tutor in the subject of reading, the students are required to read words in isolation and passages and complete dictations. Once fluency is shown in these activities, students take the passages home with them. As a result, more copies are needed for new and more challenging words and passages. Therefore, being able to request copies from the library staff is highly necessary for me to provide effective instruction. New students are also pre-assessed to give me an idea of where to start. The pre assessment is also taken home so parents are informed of their child's current level of reading. Then the instruction mentioned above begins. The copier is vital to work of in enhancing children's reading abilities. It is reassuring to know I can depend on this resource provided at the Enterprise Public Library

Our mission is to break the cycle of abuse by providing family support, education, and counseling services to at-risk families and survivors of child abuse and family violence.

The Exchange Center for Child Abuse Prevention has served the Wiregrass area (a 7-county catchment area) with free trauma-focused counseling services, parent support services, and prevention education since 1978. Our agency's core program is our counseling program. We provide free trauma-focused therapy to survivors of all forms of child abuse, sexual assault, and/or domestic violence to over 550 survivors each year. In addition, we provide hospital-based support services to over 2400 new moms and dads annually, home-based parental support services to over 20 parents and 53 children annually, and prevention education and professional training to over 18,000 children, adults, and professionals throughout the Wiregrass area. Our agency operates a satellite office in Geneva County, where we serve upwards of 45 at-risk teens with school-based counseling, support, and prevention education services. In addition, our agency provides parenting and anger management classes to over 300 high risk parents each year to increase the protective factors while reducing the risk factors for abuse

A 3-year-old child presented with an adverse experience score of 2. The mother reported increased anger and aggression since the father’s incarnation, the parents’ separation, and moving in with other relatives along with concerns of confusion regarding the situation leading to the father leaving, DHR involvement, struggling with grandparents’ parenting styles, and concerns about the child feeling abandoned. The mother shared that the child struggled with anger outbursts, hitting, yelling, refusal to follow directions, and screaming. Sessions were held focusing on the child along with the mother and grandmother focusing on understanding brain development, co-regulation, understanding of feelings and verbalization of feelings, attunement, understanding triggers, and stress responses, attention spans for age ranges, coordination of parenting styles; many handouts and games were played in sessions. Since beginning services, mother and grandparents both note improvement with behaviors at home and school, identifying feelings, co-regulation, coping skills being used, and coordination of parenting styles. The mother sweetly shared a note (paraphrasing) with the counselor: “Thank you for all that you do for us and so many others. You are a blessing and have helped turn dark times into bright ones.

Family Service Center Barbour (also known as The Clearing House) is a United Way agency whose goal is to connect families in need with the available resources to help them. We provide basic screening, referrals and assistance through a variety of programs. Our agency continues to look for ways to expand our services in order to guide families on their road to self-sufficiency

One of the primary objectives of The Clearing House of Barbour County is to grow into a full-fledged Family Service Center. This means becoming the kind of agency that comes alongside families and individuals in crisis to help them become self-sufficient. Our aim is to transform lives by helping to provide a new start. With that in mind we'd like to introduce you to a client of ours that can help show what a Family Service Center is about. 

John Turner was born and raised in Barbour County, and has lived here all his life. He and his wife Johnnie made their living for many years as truck drivers for local trucking companies like Boyd Bros., Salter Trucking, and Benny Whitehead. John contracted severe diabetes in the mid 1980's and in 1989 both legs had to be amputated due to the disease. He has been in a wheelchair ever since. 

The cost of nursing home care took virtually all of his disability income, and very soon John felt a strong desire to lead a more independent life, so he moved out of the nursing home and stayed with a family friend, Willa Dean Johnson. It was there that he began the process of finding an affordable place of his own. We are happy to report that he found just such a home at English Oaks Estates. 

The Clearing House met a variety of needs that John encountered on his road to independence. As we all know, there are a lot of costs involved when moving to a new home. Here are some of the expenses we undertook for him. 

• English Oaks Deposit 
• English Oaks Rent (partial for February, full for March) 
• Credit Check for English Oaks 
• Utility assistance through Project Share 
• Driver's License 
• Bedframe 
• Bedspread & sheets 
• Goodwill vouchers for dishes, silverware and household goods Eufaula Barbour Transit Authority vouchers 

Transportation costs for medical & Social Security appointments in Dothan 

With John now settled in his new apartment his expenses are down and he has control over his income. Although he will never be fully self-sufficient due to his physical condition, he is experiencing more freedom now than he has in years. We are proud to have helped provide John with a new start and a better situation

The Mission of the Ozark Dale County Library, Inc. is to provide the means by which all people within its service area may have free access to a variety of thoughts and ideas. This Library will provide every user and potential user in the Library's services area quality library and information services. The Library staff will develop resources and services that meet the informational, educational, and recreational needs of the community through the use of current and emerging advances in technology to support and improve the Library's programs and organization.

From Lanny Boggs - Absolutely they offer so many exciting activities to the children in the community and they are free to anyone who wants to participate. I think more families in the Dale county area should definitely visit the Library it’s a pretty cool place to be. Also the staff is extremely kind and the atmosphere is awesome..#WonderfulPlace My daughter fav place to be.

To help victims of violent crime and family members of suicide and homicide by providing direct services through crisis intervention, crime scene clean-up, individual and group counseling, funeral arrangements, assistance with compensation filing, as well as emotional and physical support through the criminal justice system.We assist with Death Notification, Media Coverage, Funeral Arrangements, Victim’s Compensation, Trial Attendance, Insurance Claims, Crime Scene Clean-up.

For the past three years the Wiregrass Angel House’s Angel Paws program has helped children who are victims of a horrible crime.
Cole, a black Labrador retriever, and Mandy, a Labrador golden mix are better known as the Angel House Angel Paw participants. Cole has been with the Angel House since the program began in 2016, and has provided comfort to thousands of victims.

Our mission is rooted in the belief that everyone can get better. We passionately believe that those affected by substance use disorders will benefit from treatment and we are committed to helping them recover. Our programs are grounded in the principles of the 12- steps, evidence-based practice, medicated assisted treatment, and trauma informed care. We draw from these treatment models to provide the best and most effective care for our clients, along with developing plans for aftercare to prevent the return to substance use.

I've come a long way in my recovery and love sharing it with others. Recovery is possible!  

- Nate Quire, participant

The House of Ruth, Inc. works to end domestic violence and sexual assault by fostering hope and healing; by offering immediate response and a safe haven in crisis; by providing advocacy, counseling and support for survivors to empower them to make decisions that are their best interest; and to promote community awareness through community education and professional training. The agency provides comprehensive services, including safe shelter to victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Children who accompany a parent/guardian to shelter are provided child appropriate services. The agency has an office in Dothan that provides individual counseling and advocacy to victims. Prevention/education programs are provided to children and youth, professionals, 1st responders and the community at large. Focus: The focus of the agency is to prevent further acts of violence and to educate victims and provide options. The agency offers counseling to assist victims to come to terms with their victimization and to assist with setting and attaining goals

The client is a 42-year-old Asian female from Alabama. She and her family recently moved to this area from Florida. She entered the shelter seeking a safe place for her and her 3-year-old child to live while escaping from an abusive husband. During the eight-year marriage, she endured physical, emotional, and psychological abuse from her abuser. She also encountered financial abuse. Her abuser deceived her into selling her home in Florida without her knowledge. He opened a business in her name and months later took her name off the title and put it in the name of his mistress. He also purchased a car for his mistress in the client's name. When the client first came to the shelter, she was terrified of her abuser. 

The client and her child had been in the shelter for almost seven months, but after a couple of weeks of working on her case plan and filing a PFA, she began to realize that she was responsible for the welfare of her and her child. She built up enough confidence to find a job, bought a car and eventually obtained stable housing. If it was not for the grants and the donations that our shelter receives for funding the programs, this client, and others like herself would not have had a safe place for their families to rebuild and take back control of their lives. This funding allowed our shelter to provide adequate food, transportation, and shelter to clients fleeing abusive relationships.