| Monthly Update on the Florida Prosperity Initiative's Efforts to Replace Childhood Poverty with Prosperity and Self-Sufficiency |
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Welcome to the one monthly newsletter in America dedicated to helping leaders make Florida the first state in the nation to cut childhood poverty in half and replace poverty with self-sufficiency. We’re all in, and we’re glad you are, too!
Despite Florida businesses creating 1 in every 15 new jobs in America, currently, Florida has 714,768 children living in poverty. Next month, we'll be talking about how the poverty numbers are changing in Florida and how the business community can get involved to help us reach our goal of becoming the nation's standard for replacing poverty with prosperity. Through the Florida Prosperity Initiative, we recognize that focusing together for collective impact is the most efficient way to create pathways to economic opportunity for Florida's next generation, one zip code at a time. We invite you to learn more about what’s known nationally as “The Florida Model” and about becoming a zip code leader or root cause leader for your zip code.
If you are new to the movement, watch this short video to learn more about the Florida Prosperity Initiative and read on to learn how we are uniting business and community leaders to focus on tackling the 10 root causes of poverty once and for all. |
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10th Annual Florida Prosperity & Economic Opportunity
Solution Summit Set for June 9 in Tampa |
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The Florida Model: Addressing the 10 Root Causes of Generational Poverty
Each of Florida’s 983 zip codes is different and so are the unique challenges to breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Learn about each of the 10 root causes of poverty below: |
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| As we double down on eradicating childhood poverty in 2026, here is an overview of the 10 Root Causes of Poverty. Each newsletter will begin highlighting best practices in zip codes and communities throughout Florida so other leaders can replicate these ideas throughout our state and eventually the nation. Later in 2026, we will host monthly informational webinars highlighting one “root cause” per month, and we hope you will help us spread the word to others who want to help us put families in need on a path to prosperity. |
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Tackling the 10 Root Causes of Poverty: Why Business Leadership Matters at the Zip Code Level
Replacing Generational Childhood Poverty with Pathways to Prosperity and Self-Sufficiency
By: Heather Cogar, Statewide Director of Community Engagement, Florida Chamber Foundation Florida Prosperity Initiative
Economic development comes in many forms. Generational poverty is one of the most pressing challenges impacting Florida’s long-term economic competitiveness, and addressing it—down to the zip code level—is central to the mission of the Florida Prosperity Initiative. Poverty doesn’t just affect individuals and families; it drives preventable disease, increases health care costs and reduces workforce productivity.
Read why business leadership matters in creating pathways to prosperity in Florida.
Learn how the root causes of poverty are impacting your zip code on The Florida Gap Map.
If you haven’t met our Statewide Director of Community Engagement, Heather Cogar, she grew up in poverty, was in Florida’s foster care system, has broken the cycle of generational poverty, and is now engaging business and community leaders as we grow the Florida Prosperity Initiative in all 983 zip codes. |
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What's Working in Our Zip Codes Today?
As our President, Mark Wilson, often says, “Florida has pockets of excellence, but we need patterns of excellence.” Finding best practices in one area that can be replicated and scaled across Florida’s 983 zip codes is what the Florida Prosperity Initiative calls a “promising practice.” We know that government programs alone won’t solve our challenges, and we know that the ingenuity of local businesses needs to be amplified, replicated, and scaled through our promising practices platform.
This month, we focus on Lack of Access to Quality Healthcare as a root cause of poverty.
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Root Cause Promising Practices: Lack of Access to
Quality Healthcare |
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| Did you know that 11.9% of Floridians (approximately 2.6 million) do not have health insurance coverage? Check out the promising practices that are helping answer the call for workable solutions. |
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Prosperity Advisory Board Member Spotlight: How Mike Griffin and AdventHealth are Working to Ensure Access to Quality Healthcare and Wellness in the Zip Codes They Serve
Mike Griffin of AdventHealth, a longtime advisory board member of the Florida Prosperity Initiative and incoming chairman of United Way Florida (another Florida Chamber Foundation partner) leads AdventHealth's forward-thinking advocacy strategy, overseeing government advocacy, community advocacy, regulatory advocacy, public policy and the Adventist Health Policy Association (AHPA) teams with the goal of improving the health of the communities AdventHealth serves.
AdventHealth is committed to addressing community needs with a focus on the health and wellbeing of the entire person—body, mind and spirit. Every three years, their hospitals conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment to identify the most pressing issues and address, not only traditional health conditions, but the social and economic drivers that cause poverty and/or keep families from working their way out of poverty.
Learn more about AdventHealth’s work to address healthcare and wellness outcomes in Florida.
Our Director of Mission Advancement & Board Development, Kristina Donohue, works with our Florida Prosperity Initiative's statewide advisory board to lead our targeted efforts to end generational poverty in Florida. We invite you to reach out to Kristina directly to learn how your organization can help lead the charge. |
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Organization Spotlight: How JaxCareConnect Removes Barriers to Access Quality Health Care and Wellness
JaxCareConnect is a joint collaboration created by the local nonprofit safety net of free and charitable clinics to assist uninsured Duval County adult residents in finding a primary care medical home. In addition to establishing primary care, they evaluate the whole person and explore other barriers to healthcare in order to support the best possible health outcomes.
Learn more about what JaxCareConnect is doing to help residents in Duval County. |
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UP NEXT: Highlighting Unattainable Housing as a Root Cause of Poverty
In next month's newsletter, we will feature leaders in Florida who are finding solutions to address Unattainable Housing as a root cause of poverty. If you, or an organization you know, are helping a zip code overcome one or more of the 10 root causes of poverty, please send them to us so we can learn more and potentially share them in The Florida Prosperity Report. Simply send a short description to Kristina Donohue. |
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| Partnerships Making a Difference in Florida |
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| Promising Practice: Scholarships Building Brighter Futures—The Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program is Opening Doors for Youth in Opportunity Zip Codes |
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In 2025, Florida Chamber Foundation Path to Prosperity Scholarship Program partner, Florida Prepaid College Foundation, collaborated with community organizations statewide to host more than 20 scholarship award ceremonies and also celebrated a major milestone of $10 million pledged. With dollar-for-dollar matching, this progress will help fund more than 4,000 scholarships for students in Florida’s highest-poverty communities, made possible through partnerships with donors and organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Take Stock in Children. Since the partnership's launch in 2021, with support from valued partners such as Florida Blue, Florida Power & Light Company, Coke Florida, and VyStar Credit Union, more than 1,400 Path to Prosperity Scholarships have been awarded.
Learn how you, too, can contribute to scholarship opportunities for Florida's upcoming talent. |
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Thank You to
Our Other Prosperity
Initiative Partners:
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| The Florida Prosperity Initiative Around Florida |
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| Florida Prosperity Initiative's Heather Cogar Amplifies Voice for Local Community at Citrus County Legislative Days |
Over the past two days in Tallahassee, Heather Cogar, Florida Prosperity Initiative Statewide Director of Community Engagement, joined fellow Citrus County leaders during Legislative Days to ensure the voice of the community was heard at the state level. Through meaningful conversations with key decision-makers, including our very own Frank Walker, Florida Chamber Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations, First Lady Casey DeSantis (whom Heather introduced), Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Matt Walsh, Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families Taylor Hatch, and incoming Speaker of the Florida House Sam Garrison, the group focused on supporting children, strengthening families, and building partnerships that create real solutions.
While in Citrus County, Heather also had dinner with Citrus County Sheriff David Vincent and his wife, Angel Vincent, two influential partners whose firsthand view of children in crisis continues to shape how leaders approach service, prevention, and community engagement. |
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| Taking time away from home and business, these passionate leaders demonstrated their ongoing commitment to the future of Citrus County and the families who call it home. |
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| From Lived Experience to Lasting Impact: Florida Prosperity Initiative's Heather Cogar Addresses Local Business Leaders at Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Event on Tackling Childhood Poverty |
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| Heather Cogar recently spoke to a full house at The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's "State of the Community: Tackling Childhood Poverty" this week. Her presentation underscored why conversations around the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative are both timely and essential. By weaving together personal experience and data, Heather brought clarity to the realities of childhood poverty in Florida, showing how outcomes for children and families can vary dramatically from one zip code to the next. Her message reinforced that poverty is not just an abstract statistic, but a lived reality that affects educational attainment, workforce readiness, and long-term economic stability. Thank you to Heather Kasten, President of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, for inviting Heather to inspire Sarasota leaders to take action locally. |
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| Florida Prosperity Initiative's Kristina Donohue Visits with Brevard County Leaders to Highlight the Florida Model in Action |
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Special thanks to Shannon Price, the Brevard Prosperity Initiative team, and the Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce for inviting Kristina Donohue, our Director of Mission Advancement & Board Development, to speak at their Year-End Celebration before the holidays!
The Brevard Prosperity Initiative unites businesses, nonprofits, and community members to effect change in their communities. Through collaboration and united action, they amplify community efforts to address the 10 root causes of poverty. |
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| Florida Prosperity Initiative's Kristina Donohue Speaks on Advancing Data-Driven Solutions for Florida’s Families at Junior League of Florida Event |
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| Pictured Left to Right: Erin Collins, Executive Director, Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking; Deputy Commissioner Vaden Pollard, Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Kristina Donohue, Director, Mission Advancement and Board Development. |
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| Kristina Donohue recently shared an update on the Florida Prosperity Initiative at the Junior League of Florida’s State Public Affairs Meeting, highlighting how data can be leveraged to change outcomes for vulnerable children and families. The meeting focused on important issues impacting prosperity in Florida communities, including chronic absenteeism and human trafficking, underscoring the role of informed advocacy in addressing complex challenges. The Junior League of Florida's State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC), the advocacy arm representing more than 11,000 members statewide, has monitored the legislative process for over 50 years and engaged delegates from leagues across Florida to research, debate, and advance issues of political importance. Thank you to Erin Collins, Executive Director of the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking and Deputy Commissioner Vaden Pollard for continuing to elevate the conversation around keeping children safe across our state. |
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| From Progress to Pathways: Florida Prosperity Initiative's Kristina Donohue Shares Insights on Workforce Housing Panel in Collier County |
Left Photo - pictured left to right: Moderator, Stephen Hruby, Chairman, Affordable Housing Advisory; Todd Lyon, Vice President, People & Culture, Naples Comprehensive Health; Kristina Donohue, Director, Mission Advancement and Board Development; Michael Puchalla, CEO, Housing Alliance; Cormac Giblin Director, Housing Policy & Economic Development, Collier County Government – Growth Management Community Development.
Right Photo - pictured left to right: Kristina Park, President & CEO, Greater Naples Chamber and Kristina Donohue, Director, Mission Advancement and Board Development. |
| Kristina Donohue recently shared her thought leadership in a panel discussion hosted by the Leadership Collier Foundation, “Collier Housing: Progress, Possibilities & Pathways.” This was a timely conversation that focused on the state of workforce housing across the full housing continuum in Collier County. The panel explored innovative solutions and partnerships already making an impact, while identifying meaningful opportunities for collaboration and advocacy. In addition to Kristina, the panel featured Stephen Hruby (Chairman, Affordable Housing Advisory – panel moderator), Todd Lyon (Vice President of People & Culture, NCH), Committee, Michael Puchalla (CEO of Housing Alliance), and Cormac Giblin (Director, Housing Policy & Economic Development, Collier County Government – Growth Management Community Development). |
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From Data to Action: Mark Wilson Joins ALICE Summit's National Conversation on Removing Barriers to Prosperity
On behalf of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative, our President & CEO, Mark Wilson, recently joined national leaders in Miami for the 2026 National ALICE Summit, a convening focused on addressing financial hardship among working families and strengthening pathways to economic stability. Hosted in partnership with United Way, the summit brings together policymakers, business leaders, and community stakeholders committed to data-driven solutions that support workforce readiness and economic opportunity. Mark had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with Senator Alexis Calatayud, a long-time prosperity champion, and Mike Griffin of AdventHealth, Florida Prosperity Initiative Advisory Board Member, on the role business and policy leaders play in strengthening our communities. |
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These discussions reflect a shared understanding that supporting working families, preparing the future workforce, and driving long-term economic competitiveness go hand in hand and that business leadership remains central to turning data and policy into measurable outcomes. Click here To learn more about the Florida Prosperity Initiative
Would you like to request Heather or Kristina to speak at your upcoming event? Visit our Florida Chamber Speaker's Bureau page today. |
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Understanding Your Community:
America's Best Zip Code and County-Level Data & Tools |
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Leaders don’t know what they don’t know and they can’t manage what they don’t measure. Let us help you take a deeper dive into the 10 root causes of generational poverty and how you can address them, one by one, in your zip code. Thanks to the Florida Gap Map, millions of dollars of philanthropy has already been redirected and focused directly into the zip codes and root causes where they will make the biggest impact on lives and outcomes.
These data-driven resources are empowering business leaders, nonprofit administrators, and policymakers to move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions by pinpointing the distinct barriers to opportunity in each zip code. By aligning strategies and investments with the specific needs of each community, leaders can make measurable progress toward eliminating poverty and ensuring every Floridian has an opportunity at earned success.
To get a pulse on Florida and your community, access our data tools below:
Visit TheFloridaScorecard.org to view your county’s progress on the path to prosperity. Metrics include overall Poverty Rate, Children in Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, and more.
Visit TheFloridaGapMap.org to take a deep dive into the 10 root causes of poverty and how they are impacting your community at the zip code level. |
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| Thank You to Our Florida Prosperity Advisory Board! |
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| Interested in joining these leaders and companies in securing the path to prosperity in Florida? Contact Kristina Donohue at kdonohue@flchamber.com. |
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| Meet the Florida Prosperity Initiative Team! |
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Kristina Donohue, Director of Mission Advancement & Board Development
Kristina leads mission advancement for our Florida Prosperity Initiative, including fundraising and partnership investment. Kristina works with our Prosperity Advisory Board to implement targeted efforts to cut Florida childhood poverty in half by 2030.
Contact Kristina to learn more and get involved. |
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Heather Cogar, Statewide Director of Community Engagement
Heather leads our Florida Prosperity Initiative's zip code and county-level efforts to replace childhood poverty with prosperity and self-sufficiency. She travels the state building strategic “root cause” solutions between business leaders, community organizations, and families in need.
Contact Heather to learn more and get involved. |
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We're securing the future of Florida every day.
Connect with us to see how! |
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