2008 Child Abuse Prevention Awards Announced For

RENSSELAER, NY (04/18/2008)(readMedia)-- New York State Office of Children & Family Services Commissioner Gladys Carrión, Esq., and the statewide advocacy group Prevent Child Abuse New York announced the 2008 Excellence in Child Prevention Awards recognizing those individuals who have played significant roles in creating and building educational resources to support families and promote opportunities for parent leadership and advocacy.

Commissioner Carrión said: “I congratulate and applaud our award recipients for their tireless efforts to keep children safe and in families where they are loved and nurtured.”

Executive Director Christine Deyss of Prevent Child Abuse New York said: “Congratulations to our award winners, and my very special thanks to them for all the possibilities they’ve helped children and families realize.”

Awards were made in the following categories:

Parenting Education

Margaret Kojac has been with the Family Nurturing Center of Central New York, headquartered in Utica, for 20 years, educating more than 2,000 parents and benefiting at least 3,000 children. For the first 10 years, she was coordinator of Nurturing Parenting Programs, providing intensive education for about 120 families per year. Since 1998, she has also coordinated grant projects that combine parenting education with home visiting, family conferences and supervised visitations – programs that serve an average of 400 parents and 500 children per year.

Mychal Sledge heads the Sledge Group Inc., a non-profit, community-based, family-oriented program that provides disadvantaged adolescents in New York City with mentoring and tutoring, and a support network for their parents. The Sledge Group encourages individuals and communities-at-large to become more involved in providing a “safe haven” for children, and in meeting their social, emotional, physical and educational needs.

Kinship Care

Denyse Variano, of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County, was honored for her thoughtful and insightful leadership that has enabled its Relatives as Parents Program to flourish. She was responsible for recognizing the need, writing grants, and bringing the Relatives as Parents Program to Orange in 1998. Over the past 10 years, the program has expanded from a simple support group to include a nationally recognized youth component, parenting education, nutrition education, mental health counseling, legal consultations, financial management services, and a peer-to-peer mentoring program. The program has become a “best practice” model due to Ms. Variano’s vision, insight and guidance, and now serves over 200 caregivers. Also, the Orange County program has mentored two neighboring counties, leading to the establishment of the Hudson Valley Regional Relatives as Parents Program, reaching 370 caregivers and 489 children in the Hudson Valley.

Also honored for her work in kinship care was Linda James, coordinator for Skip Generations Program, which provides support and educational services for grandparents raising their grandchildren in Rochester. The program is within Family Resource Centers of Crestwood Children’s Center, an affiliate of the Hillside Family of Agencies. Participants in the Skip Generations Program point to her leadership and how she has made a critical difference in their lives, breaking down their isolation as she introduced them to consistent support and linked them to needed resources. Over the years, Ms. James has become experienced in advocacy for legislation affecting kinship caregivers and the children they care for. She is recognized widely for her contributions across the state and nation. Ms. James herself is the primary caregiver to two grandchildren.

Fatherhood

Reginald Cox is coordinator of the Fathers’ Program of Family Resource Centers of Crestwood in Rochester. The group of fathers meet weekly, and Mr. Cox is respected as a strong role model, passionate advocate for fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children, and a challenging yet supportive partner in their efforts to improve their parenting skills. He has facilitated the “Family Talk” workshops in the Monroe County Correctional Facility for dads with short-term sentences who anticipate returning to their families and re-establishing their role as an active parent in the lives of their children. He has been active in the Rochester City School District’s efforts to involve fathers in their children’s education, and has been a leader in several fatherhood initiatives in the Rochester community.

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