MCCA Spring Soiree
The annual fundraiser also honored two organizations and a youth program participant.
Youth of the Year Award winner Isabella Fipps, with Kelley Martin, MCCA’s SKIP Project Director.
The Marion County Children’s Alliance 2026 Spring Soiree took place April 17 at Midtown Station near downtown Ocala.
The spring fundraiser featured food from Midtown vendors, music by Peaches & Karim, a bouquet bar to make your own flower arrangement and a silent auction consisting of painted flower pots, Lego flower bouquets and other art designed and created by the students mentored through the Alliance’s SKIP (Supporting Kids Involving Parents) program.
From 2001, when the alliance was founded, until he retired from the agency in 2018, Dr. Mike Jordan served as its executive director. On Friday, the soiree culminated with the Dr. Mike Jordan Award of Excellence and the Dr. Mike Jordan Vision Award, as well as the Youth of the Year Award.
Current MCCA Executive Director Beth McCall provided the following information about the honorees:
Youth of the Year Award – Isabella Phipps
Isabella was honored for academic achievement, behavior, attendance, consistency with meeting with a mentor and positive feedback from faculty and staff.
Dr. Mike Jordan Award of Excellence – SMA Healthcare
Through a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health and substance use services, this organization has strengthened crisis response, expanded residential treatment capacity and removed barriers to care for some of the community’s most vulnerable youth and families. In Fiscal Year 2024–2025, they provided treatment services to 17,343 individuals in Marion and Citrus counties. Additionally, 313 individuals were served through prevention programs, reflecting their commitment to early intervention and long-term family stability. SMA offers crisis services at the Ocala campus so children experiencing acute behavioral health crises receive immediate stabilization in a therapeutic setting rather than entering the juvenile justice or emergency room systems. SMA works in partnership with law enforcement, local government, fire rescue and community stakeholders to create coordinated crisis response pathways that prioritize treatment over incarceration. Their collaborative approach reduces barriers, diverts children and families from deeper system involvement and promotes recovery-centered outcomes. This past year marked a milestone with the opening of a new Women’s Residential Program, adding more than 45 beds, including for pregnant women who can remain in treatment during their pregnancy and keep their babies with them in treatment for up to one year. In a non-judgmental compassionate way this organization is strengthening families and reducing generational cycles of trauma and substance use.
Dr. Mike Jordan Vision Award – Better Together
The organization is dedicated to providing comprehensive wraparound services to families facing crises. When parents encounter challenges such as homelessness, job loss, medical emergencies or other hardships, this group mobilizes a volunteer-powered safety net designed to prevent trauma and avoid the need for foster care. This organization works tirelessly to fill gaps so families do not end up broken or lost. By offering crucial support during times of crisis, they help families maintain stability and stay out of foster care.
To learn more about the alliance, go to mcchildrensalliance.org
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
