Janet V. Ward , Founder, President & CEO
When I was a little girl, I use to pester my mother with questions about this and that. After a while, she would get tired of the questioning and in frustration, blurt out to me, “Child, your mission in life is to make yourself useful, so go find something useful to do!”
Also, Mom showed me in the Bible in the book of Genesis 2:18 that my purpose for living is to be a helper. That Scripture focused my life on finding ways to be helpful to my family, friends and the people in my community. Therefore, I became a social worker and have been providing social services for over 40 years.
To this day, Mama’s statement “Make Yourself Useful” and the Bible lesson on being a “Helper” plays like a broken record in my mind. It guided me to dedicating my life to engaging in helpful and useful activities that benefit the community.
To The Parents
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I want you to know that I see you and I am happy to serve you. It’s not a chore, it’s a joy and a privilege.
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I worry mostly about mothers. Mothers always seem to get the most blame for everything that goes wrong with their child. Often mothers are overwhelmed, frustrated, and depressed. So you talk, I listen; tell me what you need and I will do my best to help you get it.
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My job is to help guide, comfort and support you in your efforts to provide the best care possible for your child. I will you give you my best advice based on my training and experience.
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Your job is to pick and choose the advice that works best for you and your family. There is no right or wrong, good or bad answers; it is only what will meet your needs.
To The Professionals & Paraprofessionals
I want them to know that I am their partner who enjoys assisting them in accessing services that their clients need.
A Little Background
My family is Cuban, Haitian and Jamaican. I was born in Jamaica W.I. and relocated to New York City at age 7.
I started out as a peer counselor at my high school at age 18. Being a Peer Counselor wet my appetite for helping others. I received formal training and graduated from New York City Technical College, City College of New York and Florida State University College of Business – Jim Moran College of Business.
I worked as Child Protective Investigator of NYC Bureau of Child Welfare, Emergency Room Social Worker at Lincoln Hospital, Florida Department of Children & Families, Supervisor at Graham Windham Foster Care Agency, Substance Abuse Counselor and Trainer at Broward Addiction & Recovery Center.
Since 1992, I founded and serve as the President/CEO at the Parent’s Information & Resource Center, Inc. PIRC is a community mental health clinic, accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations