La Gaceta Newspaper

Amy Haile

In hindsight, Amy Haile realizes how much of an influence her mother had on her as a child.
Born in Orlando, Haile spent her early years there. That’s where her father landed while serving in the U.S. Air Force.
But when her parents divorced in the 1970s, her mother, Jan Roberts, moved her daughters closer to Tampa, where she completed a masters’ degree in counseling at the University of South Florida. Roberts went on to become the executive director of The Centre for Women, an organization dedicated to helping women in the Tampa Bay area success personally and professionally. Now retired, her mother, 80, recently performed a sold-out one-woman show at Stageworks Theatre, where she highlighted a cross-country trip she took in her Prius visiting friends and mentors, and reflecting on her life.
After her mother earned her degree, Haile, the youngest of several girls, “was in the house the longest as she was going into that point of her career.” Looking back, Haile, the new director for Champions for Children, formerly the Child Abuse Council in Hillsborough 2001, as an adult realizes how much of an influence her mother was on her. “She’s still kicking it,” Haile said. She added, “I didn’t realize then how much her career would have an impact on me. As a child, I didn’t know it at the time.”
Haile went on to study anthropology at USF and was interested in engaging other cultures and backgrounds without inserting judgment based on her own experiences. After earning her degree, she took a job with Operation PAR. Her role focused on juveniles with mental health and substance abuse issues. This is when she realized she enjoyed working with teens. “I really liked the energy of them,” she said. “They’re invincible and energetic and passionate about life.” She worked with youth and their families, collecting data that would ultimately help them make more informed decisions.
She worked for Operation PAR on and off for years. During some of those off years, she worked for DUI Counterattack in Hillsborough County, also a non-profit organization.
In 1995, she headed back to USF to enter a masters’ program in anthropology. At the same time, she returned to Operation PAR, where she worked until 2001, ending her time with the organization as the outcomes director.
She joined the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, an entity operated by the county, in 2001. In this role, Haile shifted her focus from teenagers to younger children.
There were several projects she worked on during her time there that stand out for her. Working with area non-profit organizations and other Children’s Board staff, she helped to create a childcare system for families with special needs children.
She recalls reaching out to various organizations and asking them “to design a perfect program of support.” Initially, they all argued that there was no funding for such a “perfect” program. But she insisted that they contribute their designs, anyway, which she used as the foundation for the Network of Inclusive Childcare that was funded by the Children’s Board. Though the NIC only existed for four years, there are “remnants of it still in place,” she said.
Haile also helped implement a childcare support program for homeless families. Initially, the Children’s Board supported this local program. But eventually, the state took over.
While working for the Children’s Board, she got to know the team at Champions for Children. She became especially good friends with Brian McEwen when they both entered a graduate certificate program in nonprofit management at the University of Tampa in 2009.
When Paul D’Agostino, the founding executive director of the organization retired, McEwen stepped up to fill his shoes. McEwen then tapped Haile to replace him as the associate director. She joined Champions for Children – then the Child Abuse Council – in 2013.
In recent years, Champions for Children adopted its new name as the organization began to shift its focus on priorities. When it was founded, it focused on the support and reunification of children and families affected by child abuse. The organization expanded its operations though, eventually focusing more on family wellness and child abuse prevention.
Science shows the impact of the first six months on a child’s brain, Haile said. This shows the importance of supporting children and families early as a means of preventing child abuse and other issues. As a result, Champions for Children “provides high caliber, evidence-based, top-of-science programming.”
The name change came about because with the focus on family wellness and prevention, many families were turned away by the term “child abuse.” Haile said, “A lot of parents would say, ‘I’m not abusing my child.’”
Also, they made their programming available to parents from all walks of life – all races, ethnicities, ages and income brackets – not just high-risk families. “It’s not income-based. It’s not risk-based,” she said. “Because all parents need a little help sometimes.”
Champions for Children touches around 38,000 lives in Hillsborough County each year. The majority of this, around 24,000, are through its in-school programming and presentations, Haile said. The rest, both children and their caregivers, are affected by specific programming.
One such program is the Baby Bungalow, an early childhood resource center for new parents. “It’s a lovely oasis” for parents, Haile said, offering a variety of classes and workshops, as well as child development programs.
There’s also Layla’s House, in Sulphur Springs, similar to the Baby Bungalow program, it’s a community-based learning center for caregivers and children. “It really helps caregivers navigate through whatever they might need,” Haile said.
Additionally, there’s the ABC Program – A Breastfeeding and Childbirth Program that provides education and support to expecting and new parents, with topics ranging from pre-natal concerns to breastfeeding. “Breastfeeding is the second opportunity as a parent to feel successful. It builds attachment between the mother and child,” Haile said. “This is an opportunity for us to support that positive attachment.”
The organization’s annual fundraiser is just months away and it’s a great way to support Champions for Children, Haile added. The event, the Dream Keepers Ball, will take place Saturday, Sept. 29 at the George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
There are other initiatives as well, she added. The first week in August focuses on breastfeeding awareness, and September the group will host a diaper drive for Diaper Awareness Month. “There’s a real need in this community for diapers,” she said. “Diapers are incredibly expensive. We can’t support families for a year, but we can help them through an emergency.”
She also wants to stress that the programming offered by Champions for Children is truly geared towards parents and families from all backgrounds. “No matter who you are, everyone asks themselves at some point, ‘Are you a bad parent? What are you doing wrong?’ We’re here to support them.”