Vol. 3, No. 2 • Spring 1999

Awards Night: Making Education Count
by Alma Shelton, Social Work Supervisor, Wake County Human Services

The Wake County Visions Independent Living Program launched its first Awards Night ceremony on February 12, 1999 at the Garner Road YMCA. This initiative is a collaborative effort between Wake County Human Services and the Garner Road YMCA Family Resources Center. Awards Night is a strategy to encourage, support, and recognize eighth- through twelfth-graders in DHS custody in achieving academic excellence and educational success.

Benita (left) receives an award from Wake County's Alma Shelton for making the honor roll at the February 1999 Awards Night ceremony.

Awards Night will be held four times a year, following each grading period. Honorees receive individual recognition, a certificate, as well as monetary compensation for getting A�s and B�s in nonelective courses or being on the Honor Roll. In addition there are two special awards for the �Most Improved Grade Point Average� and the �Highest Grade Point Average.�

Our first ceremony was a huge success with over 80 persons in attendance, including foster youth, foster parents, relatives, and human services staff. Skip Long, a Wake County foster parent, and Reginald Townes, CEO of the Garner Road YMCA, shared some very inspiring remarks with the youth and challenged all of them to return as honorees at the next Awards Night. In all, 35 youth met the criteria and received awards.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families