On our recent Career Trek, students visited AMI Kids and the Child Advocacy Center, two organizations doing some of the most transformative, behind‑the‑scenes work in our Gainesville community. What we left with wasn’t just information; it was perspective on careers rooted in service, systems change, and long‑term impact.
For students exploring careers in education, social services, nonprofit leadership, mental health, justice, or community advocacy, this visit offered powerful takeaways and real examples of how purpose shows up in practice.
AMI Kids Gainesville: Putting Kids First
AMI Kids is a national nonprofit, but each site is shaped by the needs of its local community. The Gainesville location, often described as a “best‑kept secret,” serves opportunity youth: young people who have been pushed out of traditional systems but still hold enormous potential.
Founded by Judge Frank Orlando, who saw firsthand how juvenile systems were failing young people, AMI Kids was built on a simple belief: put kids first. The Gainesville site, named after local advocate Richard Baxter, operates out of the former Riker House facility in East Gainesville. Under the leadership of Grayson Valentine, Executive Director, the program works primarily with students after disengagement from school.
“Kids First” Is the Model
At AMI Kids, Kids First isn’t a slogan. it’s how everything operates. Their Personal Growth Model focuses on the whole person, not just grades or behavior. Students are supported through:
Belonging: A consistent, safe space for youth from foster care, unstable housing, or disrupted families
Safety: Learning informed decision‑making and reducing risky behaviors
Growth: Integrating academics, workforce readiness, and mental health support
Who They Serve
AMI Kids Gainesville works with youth ages 15–18 who are below grade level academically, withdrawn or disengaged from school, involved with court or child welfare systems, and facing economic instability. With 23 students enrolled at a time and about 50 served annually, the intentionally small scale allows for deep, individualized support.
Life Skills = Work Skills
Workforce development is treated as a survival skill, not an add‑on. Students receive resume and interview support, industry certifications, financial literacy workshops (including monthly visits from Bank of America), and technology training. Career exposure—through guest speakers, job site visits, short‑term work experiences, and upcoming VR tools—often introduces students to careers and college pathways they’ve never seen before.
Community Makes It Possible & How to Get Involved
AMI Kids’ impact is powered by partnerships, including Peak Literacy (where students often gain 1–1.5 reading grade levels in six weeks), Alachua County Schools, local construction companies, and PACE Center for Girls. For UF students, Peak Literacy is a key way to get involved with AMI Kids through tutoring and literacy support. Peak Literacy is on campus at different times of the year but loves to get support from Gators from different colleges and majors.
Meeting Needs First
Mental health, food, and family support are treated as essentials and not extras. Services include telehealth and on‑site therapy, Family Intervention Specialists, and daily meals prepared by a full‑time chef to provide a wraparound support for each child. One clear takeaway: you can’t separate success from stability.
Child Advocacy Center: Changing Lives One Child at a Time
In addition to AMI Kids, students learned about the local Child Advocacy Center, whose mission is to stop the cycle of child abuse—one child, one family at a time. Working closely with the Department of Children and Families and law enforcement, children are referred to the center for coordinated, trauma‑informed support.
The facility includes:
Therapy rooms for play, art, and sensory work
Forensic interview spaces
Family waiting areas
A donation closet stocked with clothes, toys, baby items, and hygiene products
What began with two employees has grown to 25 staff members, serving more than 17,000 children, 24/7, 365 days of the year. This summer, the center will also be sharing its impactful work at the Krimes Against Kids Conference in July.
Careers You May Not Know Exist (But Should)
The Child Advocacy Center employs professionals across roles:
Child advocates
Therapists
Prevention & training staff
Volunteer coordinators
Development and grants coordinators
HR professionals
The center is home to at least three Gator alumni, each bringing different majors, experiences, and career journeys. Their paths were rarely linear, with backgrounds ranging from anthropology and criminology to criminal justice, and many finding their way into this work through networking and relationship‑building.
One example is Laura Clark, the center’s Volunteer Coordinator. Laura is a UF alum with a degree in anthropology who started out working in a bakery. Through her network, she learned about the Child Advocacy Center, decided to apply, and that choice turned into a career doing work she’s genuinely passionate about.
At the Child Advocacy Center, therapy services are free for children ages 2–18, many of whom have experienced foster care or juvenile justice involvement. Therapeutic approaches include:
Trauma‑Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Parent‑Child Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Child sensory therapy
Getting Involved as a Student
Opportunities exist and commitment matters:
Volunteering: Requires a background check and a consistent time commitment.
Internships: A two‑semester commitment; apply well in advance (at least one and a half semesters before your intended start date).
Eligibility: Internships may be available to both undergraduate and graduate students; therapy-based internships are limited to graduate‑level students only.
They look for individuals who bring:
Experience working with people across a range of backgrounds
A steady, team‑oriented approach with strong communication skills
Curiosity and a strong desire to learn
Final Takeaway: Careers Built on Purpose Are Built Together
These organizations highlighted how meaningful careers center impact, connection, and community. Across education, advocacy, therapy, workforce development, and policy, the work comes together to change lives.
As one AMI Kid leader put it:
“If we can get everyone into a child’s support circle, we can do tremendous things in this community.”
Gators meeting the Child Advocacy Center’s therapy dog!
Students debriefing at a table in the Child Advocacy Center.
Elliot, the Pawsome Therapy Dog.
Laura Clark giving us a tour of the Child Advocacy Center.
Students exploring the classroom at AMI Kids.
By Zita Gonzalez
Zita GonzalezManager for Human Services, Consulting, and Education
