Better Together CEO Megan Rose named Manhattan Institute Civil Society Fellow

Share this post!

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Aug. 24, 2020) – ​Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together, is one of three national nonprofit leaders named to Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Fellows. Rose will receive a $10,000 fellowship for her efforts to improve local communities as Better Together works to strengthen families and communities by promoting work, protecting children and supporting families in crisis. The institute’s 15-month Civil Society Fellows Program will help Rose and the other fellows raise national awareness for their missions and make the case for the essential nature and value of their nonprofit work.

“Over the last several months our work supporting families in crisis has been more important than ever. We’ve seen demand for our programs that empower parents–like those facing unemployment right now–and keep children safe skyrocket by 155% percent during the pandemic,” said CEO of Better Together, Megan Rose. “We have a track record of success partnering with local churches, community organizations, and compassionate volunteers to help support isolated families, and this offers hope that there is someone out there who you can lean on during this particularly hard time to help you care for your children, avoid foster care, and keep your family together. We are excited to work with the Manhattan Institute to amplify our message, sharing stories of hope and the power of genuine community.”

With the help of hundreds of volunteers and church communities, Better Together builds lasting support systems that help families cope with hardships – job loss, substance abuse, homelessness and even jail time – and ensures that children are cared for in a safe home until the family can be reunited. The organization provides a voluntary and preventive alternative to foster care through its “Better Families” program, which has served more than 2,500 children and kept 98% of them out of the foster care system. Additionally, Better Together’s “Better Jobs” program has helped nearly 28,000 job seekers find employment through church-based job fairs across 20 states.

“These outstanding leaders are filling a need in their community where a government program simply cannot, and they are strengthening our social fabric in the process,” said Annie Dwyer, director of Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Fellows Program. “Civil society is a fundamental part of America’s foundation, and this year’s fellows and their organizations are critical to the well-being and future of our nation. We hope their work will inspire others in communities around the country to take it upon themselves to assist those in need and help people change the course of their lives.”

Since 2001, the Manhattan Institute has recognized and supported nonprofit organizations and leaders who have developed solutions to some of America’s most pressing public problems. With the help of private philanthropy and volunteers – rather than government support – these organizations continue to empower the poor and disadvantaged, build caring relationships to support those in crisis, prepare the next generation to realize their full potential, restore and revitalize struggling neighborhoods, and much more.

ABOUT THE CIVIL SOCIETY FELLOWS PROGRAM

Based in New York City, the Manhattan Institute is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility. The Civil Society Fellows Program is a part of the institute’s Tocqueville Project that seeks to support and advance America’s long tradition of civil society organizations and leaders who, with the help of volunteers and private philanthropy, address and prevent our nation’s most serious public problems. Learn more here.For more information about this program, please contact Annie Dwyer at adwyer@manhattan-institute.org.

ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER

Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.

Share this post!

We are Participating in Give4Marion, and Need Your Support!

Join us for a 33-hour campaign dedicated to raising money and awareness for nonprofit organizations doing good in Marion County. Fundraising kicks off today and ends at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

We help families weather life’s storms, and sometimes an actual storm becomes the crisis.

For families who are in poverty and isolated, a hurricane can push them over the edge, leaving children at risk. Our mission is to help families before they fall.

After Hurricane Ian in 2022, we were boots on the ground, knocking on doors and responding to the immediate needs of those most vulnerable in our communities. We mobilized hundreds of volunteers and worked alongside government officials, local partners, and churches to help at-risk families. We’re doing the same now in areas impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.