Marion County Family and Children First Council hires new coordinator

Marion County Family and Children First Council (FCFC) has announced Demudia “Ide” Okojie as the new Council Coordinator.

Okojie is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio and majored in International Studies. He comes to FCFC from Access Ohio (formerly Central Ohio Mental Health Center) in Delaware where he began as a Case Manager and then was promoted to Lead Case Manager and Community Liaison. Okojie also travelled to New Zealand on a volunteer mission trip where he completed a six-month discipleship training called “Intimacy to Impact”.

In this extremely important role, Okojie will manage all aspects of FCFC. Family and Children First Councils are mandated to perform four core functions. Those are to engage and empower families, share accountability, build community capacity, and coordinate systems and services.

Okojie is excited about this new opportunity, “I have background in direct service (mental health) and it came with its own sets of challenges and opportunities. The most successful interactions came when providers and families were involved, invested, and collaborating. It’s a special opportunity for me to play the “glue” role that keeps people together.”

“I also consider children/youth to be any community’s most valuable asset. We owe it to ourselves to nurture the most vulnerable populations; that commitment demonstrates the health of our community. It’s humbling to be trusted with playing a small part in enhancing the well being of children and families,” he adds.

Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) is a partnership of state and local government, communities, and families that enhances the well-being of Ohio’s children and families by building community capacity, coordinating systems, and services, and engaging families. OFCF’s vision is for every child and family to thrive and succeed within healthy communities.

Established in 1993, Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) is defined as the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet with the purpose of streamlining and coordinating government services for children and families. The OFCF Cabinet Council is comprised of the following Ohio Departments: Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Education, Health, Job and Family Services, Medicaid, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Rehabilitation and Correction, Youth Services, and the Office of Budget and Management. Locally, the county commissioners establish the 88 county Family and Children First Councils (FCFC).

Okojie and his wife, Jacie, moved to Marion in December. They have quickly gotten involved in the community as part of the leadership team at Vineyard Neighborhood Church in Marion with the hopes of plugging into Marion as much as possible. He and his wife enjoy trying out new restaurants and traveling. He is also a Cleveland sports fan and loves to read.