Celebrating children should be a daily occurrence and at CONCERN this is done on a routine basis. One day a year, our Southeast Regional Office takes this celebration one step further. On this day, individual children’s strengths and personal accomplishments are celebrated at a very special ceremony.
On Friday, June 27, 2014, the 5th Annual “You Are A Star Awards Ceremony and Luncheon” took place to a near capacity audience with approximately 55 guests in attendance.
This celebration included foster parents and their biological children, staff, interns, a county caseworker and, of course, the children in care, where the cheers were constant as the numerous awards were presented.
Assistant Administrator Mary Kay Rafferty served as the Master of Ceremonies and Regional Director Belinda Edwards opened the program by stating, “I’m so proud of the children. It is all about you today.”
With an emphasis on recognizing that each child is uniquely special and possesses individual talents, awards were given in three primary categories – Little Star, School, and Superstars – with 36 awards presented.
The Little Star Awards were given to those who are three years of age or younger who display good behavior and who are pleasant and helpful. The School Awards were given to the school-age children who had exhibited strengths in their academic and extra-curricular pursuits.
Not every child needed to be in care to receive an award. The Superstar Awards were given in special recognition to the biological children who share their homes and their families to help a child in foster care.
The final award of the day was given to honor the memory of the office’s late Director, Diane Devlin, who was the driving force behind this event. The Diane Devlin Award was presented to the client who made a difference everyday in the home, school, and community.
After the awards presentation, a buffet luncheon was provided and the fellowship and the celebratory atmosphere continued.
A special thank you should be extended to the entire staff at the Southeast Regional Office for organizing this wonderful event as well as to our various sponsors including our Event Sponsor – Hatboro Federal Savings and Luncheon Sponsor – Luft & Company.
CONCERN Southeast Regional Blog 