About - Marshall County FRN

We provide needed resources and support for the community.

Our Mission: Mobilizing people to engage in positive and meaningful change.
Our Vision: Engaged community members working together to make Marshall County a better place to live and work.

About FRNs

Family Resource Networks (FRN) are organizations that are responsive to needs and opportunities in the communities they serve. 47 FRNs exist throughout the state, serving every county and its residents, funded in part by the Department of Human Services (DoHS). The service area of most FRNs is the county in which they operate, but there are a few that serve multiple, contiguous counties. FRNs provide indirect services and work at the community level to coordinate, organize, or mobilize programs and initiatives for children and families. Additionally, FRNs work to support or aid other organizations in the community that serve children and families. Developing partnerships and working in collaboration with other entities is a key component of how FRNs function. On the whole, FRNs work to support and strengthen their community and service providers so that in turn, families and children are better supported in their home communities.

About Marshall County FRN

The Marshall County FRN is a nonprofit organization that works to provide needed resources and support for the community. The FRN strives to be responsive to the needs and opportunities of community members, as well as other organizations, so that its work provides the most benefit where needed. Understanding that there is power in collaboration, the FRN has worked to become a valued partner to other organizations, groups, and businesses, so that the efforts of all may have a greater impact. The organization truly feels that it is an essential and strong component of the foundation of the community.

The FRN oversees and manages other programs that serve the county, including the Family Support Center and a Parents as Teachers program. Both programs provide valuable resources and services to the community, especially to families and children. Over the past year, the FRN and its related programs have implemented or coordinated a multitude of projects and programs that have addressed issues such as: food insecurity, access to nonfood essentials and clothing, resource development, community development, professional development, and parenting education, among others.

Many of the projects and programs the FRN has organized and implemented have focused on increasing the number of opportunities and resources available to the community, especially for families and children. The FRN acts as a facilitator for change by building partnerships with local organizations, groups, and individuals, and employing creative strategies to find solutions to challenges.

Our History

Family Resource Networks (FRNs) were born out of the Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Families, which had been created by then Governor Gaston Caperton in 1990 to share resources, build community capacity, and develop collaborative partnerships. The Cabinet wanted to take these same components and develop them at a community level, which was the inspiration behind the organization and implementation of FRNs in each county of the State.

The purpose of an FRN is to identify and address service gaps and needs in their local communities, and to seek solutions through collaboration and coordinated efforts in order to improve conditions for children and families. Since this time, FRNs have evolved as political shifts have occurred and organizational requirements have changed, which have presented challenges to the growth and development of FRNs over time. However, the very nature of an FRN in its adaptability of function and structure have lent FRNs resiliency and enabled them to find solutions in tough times.