June 2026 Grantee Spotlight

Pillager Family Council

Pillager Family Council home visitor Amy Gordon and Nevaeh, who is turning 3 soon and graduating from the program.

The Pillager Family Council coordinates three family service centers in Cass County, the Pillager Area Family Center, the Pine River-Backus Family Center, and the Northland Area Family Service Center. These organizations have a strong history of partnering with Cass County Public Health to meet families’ needs, including supporting food shelves, licensed childcare centers, and public health services such as home visiting. In 2017, they became an accredited Healthy Families America (HFA) program. In 2019, they received Evidence-Based Home Visiting grant funds from MDH to expand their HFA program using the Child Welfare Protocol.

Staff at each of the family centers work hard to grow and maintain their relationship with the county’s child protection office to implement this flexible adaptation of the Healthy Families America model.

HFA sites using these protocols have a formal relationship with their local child welfare office to receive referrals and have committed to partnering with families and parents dealing with this additional layer of stress. Voluntary services are offered for a minimum of three years, regardless of the child’s age at intake, and support is tailored to the unique needs of each family.

Amy with her husband, Jason, and son, Easton.

The Council’s small but amazing team supports families through some of the most challenging times of their lives, reaching out repeatedly, even when the family struggles to engage. Their persistence pays off, as many families go on to graduate from the program.

Amy Gordon has served as the home visitor for the Pine River-Backus Family Center for over seven years. She is deeply passionate about her work and the community and finds great joy in supporting others to help them reach their full potential. Amy recently helped a client graduate from the program. Seeing the healthy and thriving almost 3-year-old is a great reward for her persistence with the client.

Amy has been married to her husband Jason for 15 years and has five children. Their four oldest are in college, the Minnesota National Guard, working as a local firefighter, and a recent high school graduate. Their youngest is 9 years old. As a family, they enjoy fishing, kayaking, gardening, camping, and volunteering in their community. Amy also loves motorcycle rides with her husband and running.  

In 2018, Gordon received the Head Start Hero Award from the National Head Start Association, for a life story of inspiration, hope and excellence. Head Start provides early education, health and nutrition, and family support for children and families in need.