Roberts Family Development Center Marks 25 Years of Impact

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text...I’ve known Derrell Roberts for over 25 years, and somehow it has taken over a year to get him into the studio. I’m glad we finally made it happen.Derrell and his wife, Tina, founded Roberts Family Development Center 25 years ago with a philosophy shaped by their own lives: children have a much better opportunity to succeed when they are surrounded by caring families, mentors and community support.That belief continues to guide an organization now serving young people and families across seven sites in North Sacramento, Del Paso Heights and Natomas.Derrell is joined by Bryant Wyatt, who works with the organization’s family support services and also lives in the Del Paso Heights community he serves.We discuss Roberts Family Development Center’s year-round after-school programming, its highly sought-after Freedom School, monthly parent engagement, youth mentorship, mental health resources, housing assistance and homelessness prevention.Bryant explains why the organization uses young people as the entry point for serving the entire family. Derrell shares why education remains the foundation of the work and why exposure to colleges, professionals, elected leaders and mentors can change what a child believes is possible.We also explore the business behind the mission. Roberts Family Development Center employs more than 40 full-time team members and another 50 to 60 part-time college students. Its annual budget is approaching $7 million, and its partnerships with school districts, financial institutions, foundations and fellow nonprofits have helped the organization grow while remaining rooted in the neighborhoods it serves.Looking ahead, Derrell shares the vision for an 11,000- to 12,000-square-foot technology center that would give young people practical experience with technology and prepare them for the future of work.This is also an honest conversation about leadership succession. After 25 years, Derrell and Tina are preparing the next generation to carry the mission forward—and several of those future leaders first came to Roberts Family Development Center as children.At the center of it all is one simple message: somebody cares.Learn more: https://www.robertsfdc.orgSupport the organization: https://www.robertsfdc.org/donateEpisode Chapters00:00 — Celebrating 25 years of Roberts Family Development Center02:00 — How family inspired the organization’s founding06:00 — Education as the foundation of the work10:30 — After-school programs and Freedom School16:30 — Housing assistance, mentorship and growing family needs20:00 — Partnerships, staffing and sustainable funding25:00 — Community trust and generational impact29:00 — Adapting through challenges and change33:30 — The vision for a North Sacramento technology center46:30 — Beyond the Mission and how to support the organizationThank you so much for listening to this nonprofit story!  We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates and newsletter. https://www.nonprofpod.com/  And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode of one of our incredible local nonprofit organizations. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.