BIG VOICE FOR CHILDREN AWARDS 2013 HONOREES
THE HONORABLE MARY MARGARET OLIVER, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 82 (DEKALB). Representative Oliver has served in the General Assembly for more than 20 years since 1987 where she became the “go to” legislator for all elected officials on issues related to children’s welfare and juvenile justice. She was appointed by the Georgia Supreme Court to the Committee on Justice for Children and by Governor Nathan Deal to the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform which provided recommendations in 2013 on juvenile justice and the Juvenile Code that will keep troubled kids out of detention and working toward a path to success. For eight years she was a visiting professor at the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory Law School.
THE HONORABLE WENDELL WILLARD, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 51 (SANDY SPRINGS). Representative Willard was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2001 and since 2006 has served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the doorway to many changes in the law to protect our most vulnerable children. In 2013 he sponsored HB242 that resulted in the first major overhaul of the Georgia Juvenile Code in forty years. Within that legislation he was a special champion for the use of professional assessments of young offenders to ensure their behavioral and mental health needs are understood and addressed. Rep. Willard also sponsored the 2004 Child Protection Law, which protects children against reckless and abusive caregivers.
100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA, INC. AND ITS 14 GEORGIA CHAPTERS. In 1987 the first five chapters of 100 Black Men of America were incorporated, including Atlanta, to “provide support and improve the quality of life for African Americans, and youth in particular, in the Atlanta Community. “ Today there are 14 chapters throughout Georgia from Rome to Valdosta, and from Savannah to LaGrange, more chapters than any other state. Known best for their mentoring programs, 100 Black Men chapters also encompass education, health and economic security in supporting youth, especially minority young men. They provide thousands of dollars in scholarships and hundreds of opportunities for science, robotics, and cultural programs.
MS. GAIL HAYES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATLANTA CIVIC SITE OF THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION. Gail Hayes directs the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site, which focuses on five high-poverty neighborhoods in southwest Atlanta. The Civic Site’s work helps parents improve their economic prospects while putting their children on a path to academic success. In conjunction with her responsibilities for the Civic Site, Gail is intentional about connecting the needs of children and families to public policy opportunities to improve the lives of all children in Georgia. As a consultant in the 1990s, she worked closely with the Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services in creating the Family Connection, county-based collaborations of all child-serving agencies that today are active in all 159 Georgia counties
MR. PHIL JACOBS, PRINCIPAL, THE PENDLETON GROUP. A retired executive of BellSouth/AT&T, Phil Jacobs advocates for children from birth through college and career. Phil was the first chairman of the board of the Georgia Early Learning Initiative, the first statewide focus on the needs of very young children for quality child care, early language development, and school readiness. He also was instrumental in the creation of the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement that prepares educators for the challenges of teaching all children to high standards. Continuing his engagement in education, Phil recently was appointed chairman of AdvanceEd, a nonprofit company that includes the accreditation organization for K-12 and higher education in the South. Phil is an ardent and spontaneous spokesperson for children and education and their fundamental value to the economy of Georgia.
DR. KATHRYN CHEEK, PEDIATRICIAN. For 27 years Dr. Kathryn Cheek has served children in Columbus. Her work as a pediatrician has been critical in setting high standards for care and treatment in her own clinic, in hospitals and in the community. But her commitment to all Georgia children and their access to quality health is evident in the leadership positions where she has served. In addition to chairing the Georgia Chapter of the American Academic of Pediatrics in 2012-13, she recently became the chairman of the board of commissioners of the Georgia Department of Public Health. Her leadership has been important recently in forming a statewide coalition of pediatricians and children’s hospitals in Georgia to help kids have better health outcomes. Dr. Cheek also is a member of Georgia’s S.H.A.P.E. Task Force to reduce childhood obesity by working with teachers and the community to increase physical activity and nutrition in schools.