Reinhold foundation hosts leadership breakfast

The Paul & Klare Reinhold Foundation hosted its Fall Nonprofit Leadership Breakfast and Panel Discussion on Sustaining Healthy Organizations at the Thrasher Horne Center on Oct. 18.

The panelists were Nancy Keating of Challenge Enterprises, Joseph Smith of the Vineyard Transitional Center, Don Fann of the Way Free Medical Clinic, Irene Toto of Clay Behavioral Health Center and Patrick Hale of Mercy Support Services.

The panel discussed how their organizations navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keating said her group’s primary test was to keep Challenge Enterprises’ 308 employees working and healthy. The Green Cove Springs nonprofit employs people with different abilities and has contracts with government agencies to provide landscaping, janitorial, administrative and other essential services.

“The other big challenge was because we were operating and doing well and keeping people as free from the nasty disease as we possibly could, we were asked to do more,” Keating said.  

The nonprofit CEO added that after the organization’s customers asked the group to manufacture face coverings, workers redesigned its sewing department and the group made masks for law enforcement, medical professionals and fire-rescue personnel in Clay County.

“Some of the banks wanted signature masks,” she said. “We found material with logos on them and made those.”

Keating said the group’s most formidable test was to staff a tiger team to respond to calls from federal agencies whenever a COVID or possible COVID case was discovered in a work area.

“Our sanitation company went in and did the sanitizing in those areas so the other employees could come back to a safe working environment,” she said.