Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2018) – The Neediest Kids, a program of The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF), is excited to announce Dr. Theresa Alban, Superintendent for Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS), as the recipient of the 2018 Tom Cookerly Exceptional School Superintendent Leadership Award.
Created in 2017, the Tom Cookerly Exceptional School Superintendent Leadership Award seeks to honor a school leader who prioritizes the growing struggles of students affected by poverty in their school districts. Dr. Alban’s selection is in recognition of her school system’s priority to focus particular attention on children and families in need.
Dr. Alban and her staff guide more than 10,000 students who are struggling with poverty in Frederick, Maryland. On a daily basis, students with challenges spanning from hunger to homelessness come to school with the hope of building a future. Throughout her tenure as Superintendent, Dr. Alban has focused attention and resources on helping these youth achieve that future. She believes that these students – and all students – deserve the best from public schools.
“Dr. Alban was a clear choice after receiving a heartfelt nomination letter from her staff and seeing the work that FCPS puts in throughout the year to make resources available to students in need,” said Jermaine Lemons, Program Director for the Neediest Kids. “Her passionate advocacy and leadership allow her to be a tireless champion for children, particularly for children in need, and we are proud to partner with her.”
“I am extremely grateful and honored to be recognized,” said Dr. Alban. “Public education is a cornerstone for our community. But for public education to truly work, we need to support all of our students, especially those who struggle with poverty. That’s why FCPS’s partnership with the Neediest Kids program has been so important and so successful.”
Dr. Alban will receive the award at UnCorked!, an annual fundraiser for the Neediest Kids. Held at the French Embassy on Saturday, March 17, 2018, Saint Patrick’s Day, the event offers unlimited tastings of fine wines and whiskeys, live jazz music and French and Irish cuisine. For more information about UnCorked! and for tickets, please visit www.tnkuncorked.com. An educator rate is available.
As founder of the Neediest Kids, Tom Cookerly’s mission is to ease the growing struggles of the almost 250,000 students affected by poverty in D.C.’s schools.
By annually awarding a school leader who is prioritizing these students with a $4,000.00 cash award, Cookerly seeks to bring poverty-stricken students to the forefront of administrators minds. The first inaugural Tom Cookerly Exceptional School Superintendent Leadership Award went to former Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Karen Garza.
Mr. Cookerly started the Neediest Kids in 1972 while General Manager of WJLA-TV (now ABC 7) in order to help young people who, through no fault of their own, could not reach their full potential because they needed glasses, hearing aids, shoes or coats. This award continues his legacy of helping students through collaborations involving the entire community and hopes to bring attention to the growing population of needy students in the affluent National Capital Region.
About The Neediest Kids
The Neediest Kids, a program of The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF), provides emergency funds to D.C. Metropolitan area students in need so they have the basic essentials needed to stay in school and thrive. Working with 10 local school systems, The Neediest Kids Program also provides students with new clothes, uniforms, eye exams, eyeglasses, and access to dental/medical care, school supplies, transportation and more. In the past three years, it has served over 117,000 students in a region where more than 42%, or close to 250,000 students, qualify for free or reduced-priced meals (FARMS), a primary indicator of poverty.
About The National Center for Children and Families
Founded in 1915 as an orphanage in the District of Columbia, NCCF is a private, nonprofit child and family welfare agency with a commitment to serving poor, disadvantaged, abused, neglected, and/or abandoned children, youth, and their families. Current program services include emergency shelters, transitional, permanent and affording housing for homeless families and youth, a high-intensity therapeutic group home for adolescents, therapeutic and traditional foster care and adoption, independent living for youth transitioning to adulthood, teen parent services, and community-based prevention services that promote academic achievement, parental involvement, economic and vocational stability, and healthy families. Its programs have become social service models, redefining both NCCF’s reputation and the agency’s position in the human service continuum in the Washington Metropolitan Region. https://www.nccf-cares.org
About FCPS
With more than 42,000 students and 5,000 employees, FCPS is a successful school system in a diverse and growing community. Frederick County is home to 66 schools, all of which balance top-rate academics with personal caring and individual attention. The results FCPS students and teachers achieve are impressive. Frederick County students consistently outpace their state and national peers in academic achievement measures such as the SAT college-entrance exam. Students in the class of 2017 received $41.1 million in scholarship offers. FCPS’s graduation rate is a high 92%, while the dropout rate is 4.7%. Critically, 99% of more than 1,000 employers surveyed indicated that FCPS students met or exceeded workplace readiness standards. FCPS schools are at the heart of strong and growing communities in Frederick County.
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Source: The National Center for Children and Families
Contact:
Annie Wilson
301-365-4480 x135
awilson@nccf-cares.org
