Florida Senate President Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) today announced the appointment of Mrs. Graci McGillicuddy of Sarasota to represent the Senate on the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking Direct-Support Organization Board of Directors.
“Graci has been a champion for victims of child abuse for over thirty years,” said President Galvano. “Having served as an advocate for helping abused and exploited children at both the state and local level for decades, her passion and knowledge will be a great asset for the Board of Directors. I am grateful for her willingness to represent the Senate in this capacity.”
Mrs. McGillicuddy is a founding member & chairperson of the All Star Children’s Foundation, established in 2005. The foundation created and supports the All Star Children’s “Campus of Hope & Healing,” which was developed in collaboration with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital to provide trauma-focused clinical services for children victimized by abuse. Mrs. McGillicuddy has served as both a Board Chair and Board Member of the Child Protection Center of Sarasota since 1987. In 2004, she was appointed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to serve on the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative. In 2008, she was appointed by former Florida Governor Charlie Crist to the Governor’s Child Abuse Prevention and Permanency Advisory Council and was reappointed in 2009.
Graci has been the recipient of many awards including former Senate President Jeff Atwater’s Florida Senate “Spirit of Service” Award in 2009. Former President Atwater created the award to recognize Florida’s “unsung heroes” those who, through their acts of service, preserve America’s long-standing tradition and commitment to volunteerism and make Florida a better place.
The Senate President appoints four members of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking Direct-Support Organization Board of Directors. President Galvano previously announced the appointments of Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation), former Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, and Mrs. Toni Azinger of Bradenton.
House Bill 851, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Book during the 2019 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature, requires the Department of Legal Affairs to establish the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking Direct-Support Organization to provide assistance, funding, and support to the Council and to assist in the fulfillment of the Council’s purposes.
A direct-support organization is a non-profit organization authorized by statute to carry out specific tasks in support of a public entity or public cause.
