CityView Magazine

50 | Januar y 2020 G I V I N G P atty Collie took a deep breath and blinked back tears. She was reflecting on the past five years and the 3,000 women and children that Connections of Cumberland County has been able to help. "It came together rather quickly when many people brought their skills and contributions in the beginning and made the fabric even stronger," Collie said. "e energy from the initial board members, staff and volunteers keeps increasing; it fills my heart with joy." Collie is a founding anchor member of Connections of Cumberland County, along with Mary Flagg Nimocks Haugh and Lucy Jones. Once the three women learned about the disturbing statistics on homeless women and children in our community, they knew there was an unmet issue that they all felt compelled to tackle. "We are very committed to not duplicating the efforts of others and are excellent collaborators in our community, Collie said. "It's a concept that we think is scalable and repeatable with a focus on homelessness in the United States; this approach can be used in many different communities." From the start, Connections had a detailed business plan consisting of four phases. e women rolled out each phase methodically, and only aer ensuring that funding was available for each phase. "In my business at Morgan Stanley, you monitor and track everything - everything is quantified," Collie said. "Connections tracked and reported numbers from the very beginning to determine the impact, what worked, and how many people were touched. It's something that gave some credibility to our approaches." e first phase was the Day Resource Center, which is the foundation of Connections. e Connect Internship was the second phase. "We've been fortunate to have a robust internship program with so many universities to include military- connected families working online too. e supervision is all in compliance, and it's mutually beneficial for us." e third phase, Connect to Redirect, was launched in 2015. is phase provides access to available funding for rapid rehousing while also helping women find employment. "Our partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College has been tremendous," Collie said. "We also have a partnership with the school system to identify McKinney-Vento students, giving them priority. How can a child go and learn if they do not have a stable home environment?" e final program rolled out was their social enterprise, For Goodness Sake Shop. "We've had a big success with volunteers in that area, with the help from a FTCC instructor who comes twice a week," Collie said. "is is what we were put on this earth to do, to find somewhere to make a difference," Collie said. She, along with Haugh and Jones, certainly have helped propel Connections forward through their dedication and passion, helping those in need begin new lives and new legacies. Investment maven invests in others BY KELLY TWEDELL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW WONDERLY Connections of Cumberland County's founding members, Mary Flagg Haugh, Patty Collie and Lucy Jones

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