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MIDVALE — The Midvale Family Resource Center was renamed the Connie Crosby Family Resource Center in honor of educator and advocate Connie Crosby during a dedication ceremony on Wednesday.
The decision to dedicate the facility in Crosby's name came while the Road Home was seeking input on a new project for families. After some consideration, families with the Midvale Family Resource Center gave overwhelming encouragement to name the center after Crosby. When people were asked, "If you could name the center anything, what would it be?" the answer seemed to come easily," said Alicia Gleed Green, of the Road Home.
Crosby began partnering with the Road Home in 1999, while working in a Head Start program, when she began to provide education support and advocacy for children and families experiencing homelessness.
"It felt like it was my mission or calling in life," Crosby said.
Crosby served as the homeless liaison for Canyons School District, where she continued to work with children experiencing homelessness at the Midvale Family Resource Center to help ensure their access to educational support.
"I think I met Connie in 1999, and it was when we had our whole facility on this very same property. It was an old warehouse that was used only as overflow in the wintertime for different populations, but then really for families in the end," recalled Michelle Flynn, executive director of the Road Home. "How excited you were to be able to have a better location with a better layout of a building, to better support the families and children to get back into their own home."
She carried on that mission for 25 years before recently retiring in 2024. It's estimated that Crosby helped more than 8,750 students throughout her years of service. That dedication has been recognized numerous times throughout the years, not only by the families she's served but by the educators Crosby had worked with, many of whom were present for the dedication on Wednesday.
"The Connie Crosby Family Resource Center is more than just a building. It is a beacon of hope, a sanctuary of support for our community. It stands as a symbol of Connie's enduring legacy and her profound impact on our lives. Here, families will find the resources they need, the compassion they seek, and the love that Connie has so generously shared with every one of us today," McKay Robinson, Canyons School District assistant superintendent, said tearfully.
When first approached after the dedication, Crosby was unsure about having the facility renamed after her.
"When I first heard that they were thinking about naming the shelter after me, I was somewhat reluctant because I can think of a lot of people in this Midvale community and at the Road Home that are so deserving," said Crosby.
But when the children approached her, excitedly telling her it was their idea, she relented.
"Having a shelter that takes care of families and children as a namesake is an honor, just as serving the children at the shelter for many years has been an honor. It is a compliment to have the families experiencing homelessness want to recognize me in this way," said Crosby.
