Family Services will name Joe Crocker, retired director of Local Impact in Forsyth County for Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, as the inaugural Raising Every Child Children’s Champion for his long career serving the residents of Forsyth County and his dedication to making children’s lives better.
The award will be presented at the annual Raising Every Child benefit luncheon which will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday, April 23 at the Benton Convention Center with Master of Ceremonies Don Flow and returning Keynote Speaker Robert D. Putnam.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at RaisingEveryChild.org.
Joe joined the Trust team in 2010 to oversee local grantmaking, which focuses on improving the quality of life for Forsyth County residents with low incomes. During his tenure at the Trust, Joe was committed to improving safety net and education services locally, while also supporting the foundation as grantmaking evolved from a charitable model to goal-oriented investments.
Beginning in 2015, Joe oversaw the Trust’s long-term special initiative Great Expectations to ensure Forsyth County’s youngest children were ready for success in school and life by the time they finished Kindergarten. “Joe has been a constant support and an inspiring guide for all of us working in the early childhood field in Forsyth County,” Family Services President and CEO Bob Feikema said.
Well known for his extensive civic career across the Carolinas, Joe previously served as the director of operations for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the assistant secretary for community development for the North Carolina Department of Commerce, senior vice president at Wachovia Corporation, and chairman of the board of trustees at Western Carolina University. Joe grew up in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in business administration.
Joe was also instrumental in the launch of the Pre-K Priority, an initiative convened by Family Services to improve the number of affordable, high-quality Pre-K programs available to all four-year-olds in Forsyth County.
Raising Every Child addresses the opportunity gap in Forsyth County and provides a forum for community champions to come together and affirm their commitment to make Forsyth County the best place in North Carolina for families with young children. By sponsoring the annual Raising Every Child Champions event, you will help ensure that Forsyth County has the resources needed to make childhood well-being the rival of any city in the country.
