I've talked before about my role on the Board of National Safe Place. I recently had the pleasure of hosting the first HEROES Awards ceremony in Louisville, Ky. This was an event to celebrate heroes who have worked tirelessly to make this world a better, safer place for children. In conjunction with the 25-year Anniversary of the Safe Place program, National Safe Place (NSP) established a recognition program to honor up to ten individuals who have made extraordinary contributions nationally to the services for at-risk youth. This year's award winners, which I was honored to introduce, will comprise the initial "Hall of Fame" class, and one individual will be recognized annually from now on.
 
What the HEROES Award stands for:
H  Hear the voices of at-risk youth
E  Engage in the discussion
R  Respond to the call
O  Observe the need for change and take action
E   Educate and Encourage key stakeholders to make a positive difference
S   Significantly change the lives of at-risk youth for the better

The 2008 winners of the HEROES Awards were:
*Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund
*Dr. Gary W. Harper, decorated scholar who has dedicated his research to examining HIV risk and protective factors among homeless and inner-city ethnic-minority youth
*Trudee Able-Peterson, author who developed the first outreach project to homeless youth in New York City's Times Square, The Streetwork Project.
*Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
*Larry Wooldridge, Founder, Safe Place
 
Here is a link to the video that was shown at the event: http://nationalsafeplace.org/heroes/

 
And above is a photo of me (third from left) with the honorees:  The lives and work of these individuals provide an opportunity to learn about both the important strides that have been made in serving at-risk youth and the challenges still inherent in the field. It also serves as a celebration, as each of the honorees will have worked toward NSP's anniversary theme of "Building A Safety Net For Youth."