Foundation Helps Kick-Off National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Honor Child Advocates

As a kick-off for April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Freddie Mac Foundation recently joined Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) of Northern Virginia and the Allies in Prevention Coalition, for the 4th Annual Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon. The event honored six individuals in Northern Virginia who go above and beyond in their efforts to protect children and prevent abuse and neglect.

The Allies in Prevention Coalition first came together in November 2003 when SCAN saw the need for local leaders in child abuse education, prevention and treatment to work together to better educate the Northern Virginian community about child abuse and neglect issues. Through common messages and diverse communication channels, the coalition aims to reach the public across the region about the occurrence and prevention of child abuse. Coalition members include leaders from Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax/Falls Church, Loudoun and Prince William.

The event also served to launch Northern Virginia's annual Blue Ribbon Campaign, a public education effort to spread the word about child abuse and neglect in our community using blue ribbons as a symbol of prevention. This year's theme, "Do 1 Thing!" focuses on the power of each person to take simple actions that can help prevent abuse and neglect.

In 1989, the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse had its early beginnings in Virginia as a grandmother's tribute to her grandson who died as a result of abuse. She tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her car as a way to remember him and to alert the community to the tragedy of child abuse. Today, organizations across the country promote blue ribbon campaigns to carry on the effort to prevent child abuse and neglect.

This year's Allies in Prevention Award winners are:

Jill Applebaum, Esq., Alexandria
Jill Applebaum, Esq., joined the Alexandria City Attorney's office nine years ago, and has been the Senior Assistant City Attorney for three years. Her very first assignment was to represent Alexandria Division of Social Services regarding cases of child abuse and neglect and termination of parental rights. Jill's commitment to helping children in the legal system has continued ever since. She is an active member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Model Court Program and has been a member of the City's core Model Court group since 1997. Jill was selected by judges to attend the first All-Sites meeting of the project court because of her enthusiasm and eagerness to contribute, and she chaired the model court committee to develop its mission statement. Jill's commitment to the program has resulted in better training for those involved, as well as other accomplishments such as hosting the first Adoption Saturday in the state of Virginia. She has assisted in preparing Guardian ad litem (GAL) trainings on child welfare issues, helped draft legislative amendments to strengthen abuse and neglect laws, and provided ongoing multi-disciplinary training on child welfare laws to DSS and Community Service Board partners.

Mary O'Donnell, Esq., Alexandria
Mary O'Donnell, Esq., has been an Assistant City Attorney in the City of Alexandria for more than three years. Her work for children in the legal system began more than ten years ago, when she represented children as a Guardian ad litem (GAL) in Alexandria and Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts. After that she was in private practice and served as Special Counsel to the City of Alexandria representing Alexandria DSS for two years. She is an active member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Model Court Program and a member of the Alexandria Model Court's core group since 1997. Mary's commitment to projects, such as Alexandria Family Drug Treatment Court, has helped more children move to permanency sooner in the legal system. She is also currently assisting in the development of a child advocacy center for the City.

Louise Drucker, Arlington
For more than twenty years, Louise has been committed to helping children. Her work has taken her everywhere from two U.S. Embassies (in Brazil and the Dominican Republic) to Peace Corps work in child guidance. Today, she is a Child Welfare Supervisor for Arlington County Department of Human Services, where she has worked for seven years. As the lead supervisor for Child Protective Services, Louise became the driving force behind the development of a new Child Advocacy Center in Arlington. It is the only public agency CAC (most are associated with hospitals or non-profit agencies) and uses a model designed to minimize trauma to the children being interviewed and get them services more quickly. It was Louise's leadership that resulted in establishment of a Memorandum of Agreement between the multidisciplinary agencies involved, including the Special Victims Unit of the police, the Attorney's office and DHS programs. Louise also helped shape the creation of the agency's own centralized intake unit; she is credited with implementing the vision of providing integrated services that better meet families' needs.

Nancy Coffey, Fairfax/Falls Church
Nancy Coffey has been a social worker in Fairfax County for eleven years and has been working with children for more than 30 years. Today, as a Social Worker III, her dedication to the County's children and families continues through her work with the Nurturing Parenting Program. Nancy is well-respected and sought out by professional staff in public schools as well as mental health, probation and social services professionals. She is also sought out by parents, who come to groups specifically to meet and talk with her. Her ability to listen to parents and express concern about possible abuse issues without being judgmental has resulted in parents honestly opening up about abusive behaviors and seeking the help they need to change. Nancy was also part of a cross-program team formed to assess and develop tools to meet the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren. She believes that a healthy community can be measured by the safety and well-being of its children, and her work with parents beautifully reflects that goal.

Hon. Pamela Brooks, Loudoun County
Hon. Pamela Brooks was appointed a judgeship with the Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court one year ago. Her commitment to children in the legal system began 13 years ago as a Guardian ad litem(GAL) in the county while she was in private practice. Pamela has always been an advocate for the children she has represented. As a GAL, she was more involved with her cases than most of her peers. She took the time to meet with children and get to know them before their court date. Now, as a judge, she continues to support the best interests of children and feels her own biggest accomplishment is raising five happy and healthy children. She understands the position of CPS and the reasoning that supports removals or protective orders, earning the respect of CPS and, in turn, fostering better results for the children in her courtroom. Pamela has also worked closely with the Foster Care/Adoption Unit, serving on a panel for prospective foster care parents and assisting with foster care training.

Karen Smith,  Prince William County
Karen Smith is the Executive Director of the ARC of Greater Prince William, and has been involved with the organization for nearly 40 years. She currently chairs the Prince William Human Services Coalition and sits on the Board of ACTS/Turning Points. Karen's special contribution has been her advocacy for the needs of families and children with disabilities, including legislative advocacy and resource development for these families. Twelve years ago she started Circle of Support, an annual conference for families who have special needs children and the professionals who support them. When Prince William County began to include Human Services in its strategic plan, Karen was intricately involved in developing their goal statement, strategies and objectives. When the goal was later removed from the plan, she was a key community member who worked to have it reinstated, helping to ensure children would continue to be a priority for the County. Karen was one of the founding members of the Child Protection Partnership for Prince William County.