Advocacy Council Recognizes Local Community Members

For Immediate Release

Contact: Andrea Paul
             Children’s Advocacy Council Director
             207-523-5006; apaul@yimaine.org

Children’s Advocacy Council Recognizes Local Community Members
Presents Advocacy Award for Support to Maine’s Children and Families

This April, the Children’s Advocacy Council proudly announced five community members in Southern Maine as recipients of the 2009 Children’s Advocacy Award. Nominated by peers and fellow community members throughout the state for their exceptional service to children and families, recipients of the award are people and organizations who provide creative, diligent, and sometimes very quiet support and advocacy to help strengthen our community, often without special funding or resources.

Of this year’s nominees, Lisa Cook, Zoe Miller, Peggy Hinman, John Thaxter and the town of Cumberland, were recognized and awarded for their efforts in going above and beyond the norm to support children and families in Maine:

• Lisa Cook, a Parent Advocate for Parents navigating the welfare system and co-developer of the Parents as Partners program. Cook helped to create the Parents as Partners initiative to support a successful reunification between parent and child in the welfare system, offering support groups, family team meetings, visitation locations, and parent training workshops, while presenting the program mission and partnering with other support services and programs.
  

• Zoe Miller, Director of the Parkside Neighborhood Center, is instrumental in creating and developing neighborhood initiatives and partnering with community support programs to supply services and strengthen relationships within the Parkside neighborhood in Portland. Through building relationships with community members and local organizations, Miller has caused the neighborhood organization grow to offer many community programs from skill-building, social clubs, and recreational opportunities, to children’s summer food programs and referral services to surrounding community supports.
  

• Peggy Hinman, from the Root Cellar in Portland, is seen as a person to turn to for help by much of the Portland community, working with members of the East End community, particularly in Kennedy Park and the refugee population, to provide shelter, food, clothing, furniture, and emotional support. Hinman was also instrumental in the development of the East Bayside Neighborhood Crime Watch group.

• John Thaxter, of Thaxter Company, extensively volunteers to help residents and staff at Edgewood, a local Youth Alternatives Ingraham mental health and substance abuse treatment facility for teens and young adults. Providing remodeling services for the facility and donating needed materials, Thaxter also provides one-on-one time with residents to complete building projects, teach vocational/building skills, and accompany driving students for practice hours.
  

• The town of Cumberland, in an effort to thoughtfully manage and address concern for community sex offender notifications and disclosures of sexual abuse, has carefully implemented unique programs and policy procedures to ensure community safety and security, and provide accurate information and resources to the public. Included are initiatives toward extensive research, best-practice coordinated response efforts for victims and families, utilization of community feedback and expert community education opportunities.
  
  

The philosophy of the Children’s Advocacy Council is that everybody has a part to play in preventing child abuse, and advancing safe, healthy, happy childhoods and positive family relationships.

The Children’s Advocacy Awards are presented yearly by the Children’s Advocacy Council. For the past 25 years, the Council has taken advantage of April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, to build awareness and recognize those who strive to play their part and make a difference.

The 2009 Prevention Award Luncheon was held on Monday, April 27th at the Youth Alternatives Ingraham Family Center in South Portland. For more information on the Children’s Advocacy Awards or Children’s Advocacy Council, please contact Andrea Paul, Council Director, at 523-5006 or by email at apaul@yimaine.org.

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