WHO ARE HENRY & RILLA WHITE? In 1909, Henry White moved to Levy County to be a school teacher in the Levy County school system. Henry was to serve his community for more than 50 years. He was a teacher, school board member and, at the time of his death, superintendent of Levy County school system. Henry was a seasoned administrator who brought a sense of duty to his profession. He believed in stan
dards of performance and provided the leadership that served thousands of graduates from the Levy County school system. From Henry, the Foundation has received a legacy of leadership, service and accountability. In the same year that Henry moved to Levy County he married Rilla Drummond. They lived on Rilla's family's farm near Janney, a small turpentine still town eight miles from Chiefland, Florida. Henry taught in the small one room classic school and farmed. He was elected to the School Board and served until he was elected superintendent of schools and moved to Bronson. The Governor of Florida once asked Henry how he was able to live within his District budget when so many were not successful at this. Henry White's reply was, "You have to know how to say no!" Henry was a strict disciplinarian who taught children, "If you get into trouble at school, you are in trouble at home." Rilla opened a small grocery store on Alternate 27 in Bronson and operated it for many years. This country store was a gathering place for the youth of the community. The country store now houses the corporate offices of the Henry and Rilla White Foundation. Only after Rilla suffered a stroke at the age of 88 did the store close. Until that time, Rilla opened her store every day to her community - usually at 7:00am - rain, cold or sunshine. Old-timers remember that Rilla was a sweet and caring person - and always caring for kids. Henry and Rilla raised five children in Levy County. During the time that Rilla operated the store, Bronson was a very small town with most of its citizens merely eking out a subsistence living. For most of the families who traded at Rilla's grocery store money was scarce. There were many times when families did not have money for food. Rilla White would "write their names in her book" when families needed food. When the end of the month came, families would pay her, or else pay what they could and start all over again. Rilla would bag groceries for someone to carry out of her store not knowing whether or not she would get her money, but always caring enough to take a chance on someone she knew was in trouble. From Rilla, the Foundation has received a legacy of caring, service and compassion. OUR LEGACY
Bronson has never been quite the same since the deaths of Henry and Rilla and the closing of White's Grocery. The community and its families and children benefited greatly from their presence. Henry and Rilla were widely known for their commitment to their family, their church, and the youth of their community. From their union, the Foundation has received a legacy of dedication, persistence and partnership. It was in their memory that the Henry and Rilla White Youth Foundation was established in 1988. The purpose of the Foundation, as stated in its Articles of Incorporation, is to serve the troubled individuals of Florida. The Foundation is committed to providing a range of services to delinquent and youth and their families. It also provides mental health services to adults who are suffering from mental illness. The primary aim of all Foundation programs is to provide comprehensive and integrated services to youth, adults and their families. The Foundation recognizes that the success of its programs is attributed to the cooperative relationship which exists with its public and private partners. The central goal of each program is to assist individuals in the acquisition and enhancement of social, academic and vocational skills necessary to thrive as productive and law abiding citizens in their home community. It is the Foundation's position that individuals thrive and develop their maximum potential in an environment shaped by caring, consistency, respect, and clearly defined limits and expectations. As with Henry and Rilla, our reputation is based on our commitment to the highest standards of service. In their honor, the Foundation constantly strives to serve the customer better by monitoring feedback from our program evaluations and customer satisfaction surveys, by continuing to improve our services to youth, adults and families, by anticipating the changing needs of our customers, and by taking a leadership role in developing innovative programs. Together, in partnership with our customers, we are ever seeking new ways of providing a comprehensive range of quality, family-based services that meet or exceed the expectations of our customers and the individuals we serve. To the Foundation's leadership team quality means constantly striving for the best and gearing ourselves to the unexpected. Quality is what we invest in:our time, our money, and our energy. Quality is meaningless unless it presents value for the individuals to whom our services are directed. In our endeavors, we strive to place these individuals center stage.
