It's like Henry Ford retiring from the auto plant or Thomas Edison walking away from the light bulb factory.
When word of Dottie Berger MacKinnon's retirement from Joshua House came out at Friday's annual Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Luncheon, the reaction was along those lines, albeit on a smaller scale.
After all, Berger MacKinnon is one of the founders of Joshua House, a residential group care home in Lutz for children who have been removed from their families because of abuse, neglect and abandonment. As its development director, she has worked tirelessly to spur donations and bring attention to the home's efforts.
If happy children were the face of Joshua House, Berger MacKinnon was the voice.
When people speak of helping Joshua House, they always joke that they couldn't say no to Dottie. She wouldn't let them. Her passion for the children was effusive, and it wasn't uncommon for her to get teary-eyed when she spoke publicly of their plight.
"She's touched a lot of lives and she's still going to touch lives," said Olin Mott, another Joshua House founder. "She was really the catalyst that held that thing together. I can't say enough about what she's done. It would fill reams of paper."
Mott joked that we should challenge Berger MacKinnon to stay aboard, guilt her in believing the home can't go on without her.
At least I think he was joking.
But Berger MacKinnon, 62, certainly deserves to slow down after a career that also has included a stint as a county commissioner. And she has good reason.
A breast cancer survivor, Berger MacKinnon had another cancer scare earlier this year. A needle biopsy found the lump to be benign, but she took it as a sign to step back and let somebody else take over.
"I think I may have had too much stress," Berger MacKinnon said. "I don't think it was good for me to wake up in the middle of the night worried about how something was going to get done.
"But don't get me wrong. This is hard for me to do."
Certainly, it remains to be seen how she defines retirement. A self-described high energy person, she admits it won't be easy for her to relax. Yet her initial approach looks good. Her final day is Aug. 1 and she already has an Alaskan cruise planned for later that month. She also is going to spend more time with her grandchildren and her mother, who is 88.
As a farewell gift, Berger MacKinnon was given a canvas covered with the handprints of children from Joshua House on Friday. It was appropriate, considering she has given them a hand for more than 10 years.
Okay, you're a high school teen and a friend asks if you can get pregnant after the first time. What do you say?
Or, what if your younger sister has been drinking at a party and goes upstairs with her friend. What do you do?
These are some of the scenarios posed to people who take a quiz designed to prevent teen pregnancy.
Next Thursday is National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and teens from around the nation are being encouraged to take the online National Day quiz, which will help them evaluate possible situations and outcomes.
Last year, 75,000 teens took the quiz, but the number is not that impressive when you consider 1-million girls get pregnant every year in the U.S.
In Hillsborough County, the teen birth rate is 20 percent higher than the U.S. rate, and 15 percent higher than the rest of the state.
While places like Joshua House provide services for foster care's teen moms, one of the highest-risk groups for child abuse and neglect, the benefits from reducing the rate are clear. We need to improve the lives of our kids before they start creating another.
Let's hope this is one National Day that hits home.
