Pathways to Empowerment: Manifesting Abundance

Dr. Kate Waller Barrett Advocate Award: Rebecca Alexander 

Introduction 

About Dr. Kate Waller Barrett 

Dr. Kate Waller Barrett (January 24, 1857 – February 23, 1925) was a humanitarian, philanthropist, and social reformer. While raising six children and opening a shelter for unwed mothers, she earned a Medical Degree and a Doctor of Science. In 1895, Dr. Barrett joined Charles Nelson Crittenton to co-found the National Florence Crittenton Mission, and they established rescue homes for unwed mothers across the country. More than 70 Crittenton homes operated in the United States and abroad at the time of her death.  

In 1909, Dr. Barrett became the Mission’s President and ignited the movement of supporting young girls and young women, including women of color. Her advocacy efforts and leadership also supported girls and young women beyond the walls of the Crittenton homes. A few of her many accomplishments include:  

• Partnering with John D. Rockefeller to create an anti-trafficking film, Traffic in Souls; 

• Voted President of the National Council of Women; 

• Appointed a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention; and 

• Appointed as special agent of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration for her anti-sex trafficking and advocacy changing the way girls and young women were treated while in custody.  

2025 Dr. Kate Waller Barrett Advocate Award Winner, Rebecca Alexander 

The Dr. Kate Waller Barrett Advocate Award is given to an individual who supports the empowerment of young mothers and their children in our community – a modern-day champion of the work of one of our founders and the award’s namesake. Florence Crittenton Services is thrilled to honor Rebecca Alexander as the 2025 recipient. Rebecca served two terms on the Florence Crittenton Board of Directors and made an indelible contribution to our wraparound services by starting our on-campus Legal Clinic in 2013.  

Rebecca’s FloCrit journey began after she experienced a deep tragedy when she lost her 18-year-old son in 2011.  Feeling like her parenting had been cut short abruptly, she found herself wanting to mentor teens without adequate parental support as they navigated the transition between high school graduation and the bigger world. She was invited to the FloCrit luncheon, a precursor to our gala event, by Dick and Jennifer Mandelson, and was fortuitously seated next to a FloCrit student who helped Rebecca connect her desire to work with teens to the FloCrit mission. She was encouraged by 2024 Dr. Kate Waller Barrett Advocate Award recipient, Suzanne Banning, to consider board service, and she soon joined the board and the program committee. Not long after, then-Student and Family Support Program Director, Desta Taye-Channell, called on Rebecca’s family law expertise to support a very difficult parental supervision situation with one of our students. Rebecca represented this student through a series of legal proceedings, ultimately resulting in a positive outcome for both mom and child and inspiring the creation of the Florence Crittenton Services Legal Clinic. 

In alignment with our mission to educate, prepare, and empower teen families, the FloCrit legal clinic, which today includes eight volunteer attorneys including Rebecca’s long-term partner in this work Marte Timmers, focuses primarily on helping students navigate the legal system and equips them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to represent themselves in Court. And in cases when the physical safety of the mother or child is at risk, the attorneys can provide a more intensive touch. Over time, the clinic has also seen success helping families mediate parenting agreements and parenting plans, complementing the work our program staff does modeling and encouraging healthy relationships, upholding expectations, and supporting family engagement.  

Rebecca served on the board of directors during our Building for Teen Family Success Capital Campaign, the renovation of the Early Childhood Education Center, and the opening of the new Florence Crittenton High School and Alethia E. Morgan MD School Based Health Center. She helped oversee the establishment and growth of our endowment, the stewardship of our investments, and the refinement of our program to be thepremier two-generation teen family wraparound services provider in the state of Colorado. She is a wonderful example of how the marriage of passion, skill, and advocacy in one person can affect positive outcomes for real families, setting them up for multi-generational success.