Safe Harbor Coronado expanded its team by adding a Development Director to the staff on March 11. Coronado native Missy Robertson took the position, joining Executive Director Danielle Maske in her efforts to continue to grow the programs and impact of Safe Harbor Coronado. Danielle took over as Executive Director from Georgia Ferrell last fall and as part of that turnover they decided to restructure the organization to enable much needed expansion. “We want to move the whole organization to a new level, we have wonderful programs we want to expand on and it is a two person job.” As Development Director, Missy will focus on community building, raising awareness, grant-writing, fundraising, connecting with donors, outreach and development.
Missy’s objective as Development Director is to raise money to support the critical services offered by Safe Harbor. Missy said, “This job is not only fundraising but friend-raising. I need to bring awareness to the incredible programs we have. People know some of the things we do, but not the depth of all that we do.”
Born and raised in Coronado, Missy left for college at 17 and didn’t move back until her 40s when she needed to take care of her Mom, whose health was failing. Having had a wonderful childhood here, Missy realized that Coronado was the place she wanted to raise her own children and has now lived here for the past 12 years. Missy’s background is in tech and recruiting. Missy began her career in tech at Apple where she helped build the original in-house graphic design team. She also holds a K-8 credential. Most recently Missy has supported multiple companies in the tech industry as a corporate recruiter. In each role, she has built teams, streamlined systems and been a critical member of each organization she was a part of.
When asked why she left the tech world Missy said, “Coronado is such a magical place. It is a nice place to know your neighbors and to connect. I teach my kids to think about how to give back to the community or get involved and I realized I needed to do that as well. It is so fulfilling to work for Safe Harbor, an organization that provides services for our kids and helps to improve our community.”
Missy went on to say, “When I first moved back here we were struggling with my mom’s health and I was going through a divorce and we came to Safe Harbor and did counseling there and it was wonderful. For 12 years I’ve wanted to give back to Safe Harbor for all they do and when this job opened I decided it was time to leave the tech world and do something that supports my community.”
Missy shared that the team at Safe Harbor is small but mighty. With only two full-time employees (Missy and Danielle) and seven part-time employees who include two program coordinators, two program facilitators, a marketing director, a bookkeeper and a clinician, Safe Harbor has supported thousands in the community. According to their 2022/23 annual report, Safe Harbor connected with over 20,000 community members through outreach, impacted over 2,500 youth through their youth programs and assisted in 300 community members through counseling. Safe Harbor’s mission is “To provide comprehensive social, behavioral, emotional and mental health programs and counseling to empower Coronado youth, their families and our community.”
In line with their vision – “A community where every young person can navigate life’s challenges with resilience, and together with their families, find skills, support and resources for lasting mental well-being” – the Safe Harbor team works tirelessly to bring impactful programs to the community and its schools. In their annual report Danielle expressed her thanks to the community for their support saying, “It is with immense gratitude that I offer my thanks to the Coronado Community. It is because of the continued support from you, our generous donors, that we have been able to impact those in need for 25 years. The environment in which our youth are growing up can be formidable, but because of your efforts, we persevere and continue towards our goal to equip youth and their families to navigate life’s challenges. We appreciate your help to establish a strong foundation for a quarter century. Thank you for your kindness and charitable contributions.”
For those interested in donating to Safe Harbor, visit their website at: safeharborcoronado.org/donate
