Greater Fort Myers Chamber Of Commerce: Better Together Welcomes Stephen Schahrer, Pamela Hayford

Press release from Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce:

2021-09-30

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2021) – Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families in crisis and preventing the need for foster care, has announced the hire of Stephen Schahrer as chief administrative officer and general counsel and Pamela Hayford as marketing and communications manager.

In his role within the organization, Schahrer is responsible for directing the finance, information technology, human resources, fundraising and marketing operations of Better Together in Florida and across the nation. Schahrer grew up in Southwest Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in public administration from Florida Gulf Coast University, followed by a Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law. Prior to joining Better Together, Schahrer worked as a business and commercial litigation attorney in Naples. A volunteer host family with Better Together, Schrahrer and his family experienced firsthand the impact Better Together can have in people’s lives, which has fueled his passion to help the organization thrive in Florida and beyond.

As the new marketing and communications manager, Hayford will help tell the story of Better Together’s mission, families and staff. Hayford brings more than 25 years of experience as a journalist, working as a writer, reporter, editor and page designer. Prior to joining Better Together, she spent 15 years as the editor of Southwest Florida Parent & Child magazine, part of The News-Press Media Group, during which time she learned of Better Together. Raised in Northeast Ohio, Hayford earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Bowling Green State University and has lived in Southwest Florida for over 20 years.

“From serving as a host family with our organization to helping tell powerful stories of families overcoming hardship, Stephen and Pamela have both played important roles in supporting Better Together’s mission even before they joined our staff,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “We’re thrilled to welcome such talented and passionate professionals to our team as our programs continue to grow and reach families across the nation.”

Since its inception, Better Together has provided temporary homes to more than 3,100 Southwest Florida children. Both programs are 100% privately funded and volunteer-driven. Better Families has a 98% success rate of reunifying children with their parents, and through Better Jobs, serving more than 34,000 job seekers with half receiving an offer on the spot at job fairs.

ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER

Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.

This press release was produced by Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.