Children’s Hospital of Illinois held the Community Advocacy Awards, Breakfast Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Embassy Suites, East Peoria. Children’s Hospital Community Advocacy Awards recognizes individuals and groups within the community who go above and beyond to improve the lives of children.
Kristin Anderson of Normal received the Christine Zak-Edmonds Volunteer Award for her work as a volunteer with multiple organizations in the Bloomington/Normal area. Kristin volunteers at Prairieland Elementary School every Friday, is the secretary of her Parent Teacher Organization, is a member of her church board, serves as co-chair on the Children’s Education Committee at her church, and volunteers each year with her son at the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon.
Ron Tyler of Peoria received the Bill Houlihan Award for his child-centered service work in the Peoria Area. In 2001, motivated by experiences with his foster child, Ron designed and developed the “Leonard Program” to offer working adoptive and foster parents respite daycare for suspended children. Parents of suspended children are able to enroll their children for the term of the suspension in a safe and structured environment that provides a tutor, structured lessons and activities, social and emotional support, as well as meals and community service. Today the “Leonard Program” is housed in the Knoxville Center for Student Success and serves more than 200 children and families each year.
Shannon Strader of Metamora received the Joey Stowell Youth Award Shannon’s twin sister Lauryn was a patient at Children’s Hospital of Illinois often throughout the seven and a half years of her life. After Lauryn passed away in 2000, Shannon began bringing toys and treats to the patients who were in the hospital during the Christmas and Easter seasons. During her junior high years, Shannon coordinated bake sale fundraisers for the hospital and raised several hundred dollars. Also during this time, she volunteered at both the Thomas Jefferson School special needs classrooms and Easter Seals. At Easter Seals, Shannon donated books and helped coordinate a small library that could be traded and shared. For her 16th birthday, Shannon asked that guests bring donations for Children’s Hospital instead of gifts. She raised more than $1,000. Shannon has also served on Children’s Hospital’s Kids Advisory Board.
The Center for Prevention of Abuse of Peoria received the Group Award. For more than 25 years, the Center for Prevention of Abuse has partnered with area schools to help keep kids safe. Whether providing child sexual abuse prevention education to more than 10,000 students in a single year, or engaging students in an integrated social and emotional learning program, the Center creates and delivers programs designed to keep children safe and free from abuse. Last year alone, the Center for Prevention of Abuse provided education to more than 35,000 students in Central Illinois! The Center offers services in a wide range of abuse prevention programs including: sexual abuse prevention, social skills education, bullying prevention, building self esteem and self respect in young women, and healthy conflict resolution education for young men.
Each winner receives a $500 donation to the charity of his or her choice. Presenting the awards was Jim Stowell, President of Children’s Hospital Community Advocacy Board, Sister Judith Ann Duvall, Major Superior and Chairperson of the Governing Board of The Sisters of The Third Order of Saint Francis, Rich Draeger, Vice-Chair of the Advocacy Steering Committee and Sara Dill, Executive Director of Children's Hospital of Illinois.
