Caroline Better Together

Representatives from Caroline Better Together—the county’s collective impact initiative— recently attended the 2025 StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network Convening in Atlanta, Georgia, from September 16–18. But who can be a part of collective impact, and why is it important to get perspectives from various individuals?

Those who made the trek to Atlanta included Kirk Howie and Elizabeth Saylor of Caroline County Public Schools, Deborah Hudson Vornbrock, Executive Director of Martin’s House & Barn and board member of the Caroline Human Services Council, Liliana Ochoa of the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center (ChesMRC), and local consultant Kat Stork Blaher of Shore Strategies, LLC, representing the Caroline Human Services Council.

The conference brought together leaders from across the country advancing cradle-to-career and place-based strategies for improving economic mobility. For the Caroline County team, it was a chance to learn from other similar initiatives what works, what doesn’t, and how to translate that knowledge into local progress through Caroline Better Together and Federalsburg Better Together.

According to Vornbrock, the answer to who can play a role in collective impact is simple: everyone. “Every day I see how interconnected the challenges families face are—housing, education, food insecurity all intersect,” she said. “Working with Caroline Better Together gives a framework to coordinate across systems so families not only don’t fall through the cracks but also have the opportunity to thrive.”

Collective impact, she explained, allows communities to align goals and stretch limited resources further. “No single organization can help families overcome the full range of obstacles they face,” Vornbrock said, “By working together, we can build stronger systems and achieve better results.”

She said her biggest takeaway from the Atlanta conference was the power of shared data and unity. “It was inspiring to hear how other communities have found ways to collect and pool data to show real, measurable progress,” she said, “It affirmed that the work we’re doing in Caroline County is part of a growing national movement where all children have the opportunity to thrive.”

Through organizations like CCPS, ChesMRC, Martin’s House & Barn, and the Caroline Human Services Council, the county’s “Better Together” efforts are proving that lasting change happens when diverse partners work in unison. To learn how you can get involved, consider attending the Better Together Fall convening on Nov. 6.