One of nine awards presented across Alberta in 2019
Minister’s Awards of Excellence in Child Development are given yearly to child development professionals who make life better for children and families.
This year the Parent Link West Network – Athabasca Parent Link was nominated and was presented an award in the Team category. Receiving the award were Lori Heywood, Nadine Tomuschat , Christa Fuchs, and Mandy Smith who work with local families every day from the Athabasca County Family &
Community Support Services (FCSS) office in Athabasca.
“It was a great honour to receive the award and very exciting to attend the awards ceremony,” says Mandy Smith, who has been working as a Parent Link programmer in Athabasca for 13 years.
“We didn’t realize how big the ceremony was going to be and we are very happy that it was the whole team who received the award.”
The group travelled to Government House in Edmonton on Monday, December 9, 2019 to attend a lunch and awards presentation ceremony. Presenting the award was Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu on behalf of Minister of Children’s Services Rebecca Schulz.
They were chosen after an Awards Selection Committee including past recipients, representatives from stakeholder organizations and government staff reviewed all eligible nomination packages according to criteria specified in the nomination guidelines.
Nine awards are presented to child development professionals; with three awards in each category:
- Individual: A child development professional working with children
- Team: A team of two to four child development professionals working with children
- Program: An eligible program working with children that is licensed or approved by the Government of Alberta
“We’re very proud to see the Athabasca Parent Link program receive such a well-deserved award,” says Larry Armfelt, Reeve of Athabasca County. “The interactions our families and children have at the Parent Link Centre provide the basis for healthy and happy lifestyles that last a lifetime. The work they do is unique and very important to our region.”
Jackie Shank of Taking Care Counselling & Consulting nominated Athabasca Parent Link for the award.
