NCCF will honor 11 exceptional individuals, supporters, and organizations for their commitment to reclaiming the very best of what the community has to offer.

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On Friday, October 15, 2021, at 6:30 PM, the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) will honor 11 exceptional individuals, supporters, and organizations for their commitment to reclaiming the very best of what the NCCF community has to offer. Hosted by 15-year-old Mistress of Ceremonies, Drew Olivia Tillman (This is Us, Mixed-ish, Roxanne Roxanne), RECLAIMING: The HeART of Community will be streamed live nationally. Special guests include, Billboard-ranked musician Marcus Johnson and Wammie Award winning group, The String Queens (TSQ). Ten youth performances will round out an evening rich with poetry, song, and dance.

The incredible roster of distinguished honorees includes:

Humanitarian Lifetime Impact Award: Mr. Larry and Mrs. Mary Freedman. Through their pro bono legal and multifaceted volunteer work, Mr. and Mrs. Freedman have altered the trajectory of countless lives and generously shared hope, compassion, and joy to at-risk kids and their vulnerable families. Their lasting legacy is reflected in the J.C. Nalle Community School in DC where they have sponsored annual holiday parties, sports clinics, and art activities for decades. As stewards and nurturers, they played an enormous role in transforming a Ward 7 school that once had bullet holes in its front door, to the vibrant community hub that now flourishes.

2021 Champion in Our Midst Award: The Honorable Jamie Raskin (U.S. Congress, Maryland 8th District). Mr. Raskin’s work as a U.S. Congressman serves as an inspiration for the NCCF community. Over the years, he has demonstrated that he is an outstanding champion for the homeless, impoverished, or underserved clients in NCCF’s Maryland-based programs. This year, in the midst of the incalculable loss of his precious son, he braved a mass assault on the U.S. Capitol, and used his considerable legal and historical knowledge to lead the country through an impeachment trial, all the while continuing to model unity and represent his constituents from the moral center.

2021 Tom Cookerly Exceptional Superintendent Leadership Award: Dr. Monica Goldson (CEO, Prince George’s County Public Schools). As a leader and beneficiary of the PGCPS system, she has continued to help, to carry, and when necessary, to fight for every student in her County. Dr. Goldson’s nearly 30 years of service to PGCPS has propelled students to their highest levels of excellence while also prioritizing low achieving schools, the expansion of Pre-K, and mental health supports. Her work with children fundamentally demonstrates the need of the community to care for its youngest, most impressionable members and to level the playing field for the poorest children in her schools.

Humanitarian Spirit Award for Workplace Giving: The Boeing Company. The Boeing Company sets an exceptional example of corporate community service and giving. Their annual back-to-school drive, Liftoff for Learning, consistently provides an opportunity for the staff to give back directly to children in their own community. Between 2018 and 2020, Boeing Company employees raised over $125,000 in personal donations, volunteer hours, and corporate matches, as well as packed 2,500 backpacks with school supplies for Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and Arlington Public Schools (APS).

Humanitarian Spirit Award for Diversity and Equity: Micron Foundation. Micron Technology, Inc., set its new commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion into action by providing foundational support to underserved communities disproportionately affected by the ongoing pandemic. This enabled NCCF, and other organizations, to promote safety, education, and access to information within the Black and Latinx neighborhoods who bore the brunt of the health crisis. Micron also provided technology to poor and primarily Black students in NCCF’s network and invited them to attend multiple online STEM training camps at a time when the normal routine of schools and families were totally disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns.

Humanitarian Spirit Award for Advocacy: Ms. Amber Harding (Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless). Advocacy is central to what Ms. Harding does to prevent and end homelessness in the District of Columbia. Her focus on developing, improving, and monitoring subsidized housing resources, as well as fighting zoning discrimination makes her an essential and valued ally of NCCF’s clients in Ward 5. As a member of the Advisory Committee for the Sterling Short-Term Family Housing Program, she has personally nurtured and comforted vulnerable families seeking shelter.

Samaritan Spirit Award: The Fort Washington Baptist Church. As a group, the Fort Washington Baptist Church, with its everlasting commitment to the J. C. Nalle Community School in Ward 7, has demonstrated a true and deep understanding that a neighbor is so much more than a person who lives nearby. This congregation has brought incredible joy to the school’s children and their families by delivering hundreds of brand-new bicycles, as well as toys, and gift cards.

Youth Humanitarian Spirit Award for Volunteerism: Ms. Cate Schultz and Mr. Kade Friedlander. As two of NCCF’s volunteers, both Cate and Kade have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to providing homeless children and families in emergency shelter with wonderful childhood experiences.

John F. White Alumni Award: Ms. Olivia Oliver. As a 24-year-old, who has moved from homelessness to homeownership in three short years, Olivia’s astonishing accomplishment has impressed and inspired so many. The courage and tenacity with which she navigated her journey into successful adulthood affirms her as incredibly deserving of an award named for John F. White, an alumnus of NCCF who was orphaned by his family but persisted until he became a successful entrepreneur and business leader in the health sector.

Humanitarian Spirit Award for Compassion and Innovation: Day 1 Families Fund. This Fund’s pioneering effort to support compassionate, needle-moving work by non-profit organizations, directly addresses the immediate needs of of young families experiencing homelessness in affluent Montgomery County. Through its grant to NCCF, the Fund has enabled the type of flexibility and innovation that allows impoverished parents to tackle specific barriers to providing their young children stable, safe, and permanent housing and economic resources sufficient to fuel a positive future.

RECLAIMING: The HeART of Community is a free, online community event open to all. Register today at http://www.heartofcommunity.org.

Rachel Spassiani
The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF)
+1 202-713-6108
email us here

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