Country Club Living - Palm Beach North - March 2025

A native Floridian, David Franklin has always had a special place in his heart for the world of nonprofit organizations. In fact, to hear him talk about the connection, it’s a family trait of sorts, starting with his grandparents. “I’ve always had a heart for nonprofits and doing something outside of myself,” Franklin said. “That’s something that my grandparents and my parents kind of instilled in me.” David’s own journey in the nonprofit space began in 1999, shortly after his first child was born. “We decided to get a couple of partners together and launch a church that was outside the walls of the church,” David explained. “We recognized that there was sort of an innate need in people for community and connection but a lot of people had been hurt by the church over time.” Franklin’s “church” actually came in the form of a group of coffee shops called Two Street Coffee Garage, which today goes by the name of Brew Urban Cafe. “It was a great experience,” Franklin said. “I had never done anything like that but it taught me about running a business and leadership and I learned a ton on that side.” With that experience under his belt, Franklin decided that he wanted to go bigger. He left his native Florida and moved to the Atlanta area, working with a large church in the area to develop a student center aimed at engaging youth within the community. “I was brought in to develop a completely new ministry that didn’t exist,” Franklin said. “They built a $20 million student center and I was tasked with figuring out how to run it.” After several years of doing that, Franklin decided it was time to return home, eventually settling in with Alzheimer’s Community Care where he currently serves as the President and CEO. While this was and is his first foray into the world of Alzheimer’s, Franklin was certainly not new to the world of helping others. In addition to his time with the church, both here locally and in Georgia, Franklin has also sat on various boards, including Thrivent Gives, where he helped allocate funding to organizations in need. While new to the Alzheimer’s community, David’s background and history in philanthropy allowed him to quickly acclimate to his new surroundings. In fact, one of his first initiatives as President and CEO was to have all staff, from accounting to maintenance, visit the day centers to experience firsthand the vital work being done. “I really thought one of the first things I needed to do was invest in my staff and see how I can best serve them and help them be the best version of themselves,” Franklin said. That investment is part of David’s larger leadership philosophy. He believes in fostering a collaborative environment where team members recognize their strengths and ask for help when needed. “One of my roles as a leader is making sure people are positioned to use their strengths,” David explained. “To use a baseball metaphor, you wouldn’t put a left-handed hitter against the wrong pitcher.” David doesn’t just talk the talk though, he walks the walk. After all, how can you expect others to “play ball” to use another baseball term, without doing so yourself? COVER FEATURE PRESIDENT & CEO - ALZHEIMER’S COMMUNITY CARE PROFILES OF LEADERSHIP David Franklin - By Dan Hauser | Photos by Neil Cohen Photography - 8 | C O U N T R Y C L U B L I V I N G - PA L M B E A C H N O R T H | M A R C H 2 0 2 5