2008 NAEHCY Awards Recipients

The Maslow Project (Medford, OR)
Outstanding School-Based Education Program Providing Services to Students in Homeless Situations

Luis Perez
Outstanding Individual Working in a Program (Non-Instructional Staff)

Gail LaVassar
Outstanding Individual Working in a Program (Administrator)

Sarah Benjamin
Outstanding Educator Working in a Program

Janet Levin
Distinguished Service and Leadership for an Individual within NAEHCY

Attorneys & Kids Together
Distinguished Service and Leadership for a Group Outside of NAEHCY

Samantha Fay
Outstanding Student Working to Improve the Lives of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

In Their Own Voices, produced by the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Center for Community Education
Outstanding Media Presentation

Dr. Marcia Zashin
Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award

The Maslow Project (center) receives its award from NAEHCY Member-At-Large, Mattie McVey Lord (left)
and NAEHCY President, Tim Stahlke (right)

The Maslow Project from Medford, Oregon, is a resource center and outreach program that serves over 1,200 students and families in homeless situations with educational support, material resources, counseling, and recreation. All activities are offered in a safe, friendly environment both at the school-based site, as well as in a recreation hall in partnership with a community-based organization.

The Maslow Project is the culmination of years of planning on the part of Mary Ferrell, who was named “Woman of the Year” in Medford for her accomplishments with the McKinney-Vento Program. Mary’s collaborative leadership and in-depth knowledge of the youth and their needs have created a replicable model for integrated and co-located service. Mary’s co-workers are high-energy, thoughtful, and competent education professionals.

The Maslow Project is a proven program with hard data to demonstrate the academic progress and achievement of participating students. As a result of the program, in 2007, 99 percent of the students remained in their school of origin. Grade point averages, attendance rates, and average earned credits in high school have all increased each year since 2005. The community is proud of the project’s success and the partnerships that have been created to leverage additional support to help more students.

Luiz (center) receives his award from NAEHCY Member-At Large, Mattie McVey Lord (left)
and NAEHCY President, Tim Stahlke (right)

Luis Perez currently serves as the Homeless Education Liaison for West Contra Costa Unified School District. He grew up on the streets of Richmond, CA, the 11th most dangerous city in the United States, where he developed deep concern for those who were homeless and disenfranchised. Luis chose to devote himself to education and to improving the lives of those who were struggling all around him. He monitors every child or youth to ensure that they are attending school regularly and maintaining their grades; in fact, he has been able to maintain an 85 percent attendance rate of homeless children and youth in his district. He uses himself as an example of what education and hard work can do.

Luis is described as “a walking presence that exemplifies the get-up-and-do attitude that is necessary to overcome obstacles.” When he finds that a family has needs, he works with the schools, teachers, and community agencies to find solutions. He has the interpersonal skills that cross cultures and dissolve communication barriers. He is comfortable with everyone, passes no judgments, and makes no determinations that are not based on fact.

Gail (center) receives her award from NAEHCY Member-At-Large, Mattie McVey Lord (left)
and NAEHCY President, Tim Stahlke (right)

Gail LaVassar leads the Families in Transition Project, a consortium of four local school districts on Whidbey Island in Washington state. Gail goes beyond the basics of the McKinney-Vento Act, not only connecting children with school and services, but actually increasing the services available in her community. Since the nearest regular Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) office is 50 miles away, Gail has succeeded in having a DSHS case manager work in her office each week so that families and youth are able to access DSHS services. She has succeeded in getting all of the public preschool programs in her area to prioritize homeless children for enrollment and place them at the top of wait lists.

Gail’s work has had a direct impact on overall services available on Whidbey Island. Gail has inspired the development of no fewer than six local programs, including a soup kitchen, community voicemail program, and a task force called the Housing Resource Team. Gail also provides surveys to youth and parents and adjusts the program’s services based on their responses. As her nomination stated, Gail’s “work is outstanding, her results are stunning, and her personal commitment is humbling.”

Sarah (center) receives her award from NAEHCY Member-At-Large, Mattie McVey Lord (left)
and NAEHCY President, Tim Stahlke (right)

Sarah Benjamin is the Homeless Education Liaison for Eastern Suffolk and Teacher Coordinator of the Mobile Outreach Parent Child Home Program (MOPCHP). She is described as a “one-woman army”, working vigorously to increase awareness among her colleagues and community members regarding the academic needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. Sarah developed the MOPCHP as a solution to the intense need she identified for early childhood services in high poverty and highly mobile families. In this program, families benefit from weekly home visits for two years and are connected with the supports they need to improve their lives. Most importantly, MOPCHP help these families prepare their children for success in school. They receive school readiness and early literacy services, as well as holiday gifts, food, clothes, blankets, children’s books, and an occasional security deposit for permanent housing.

When necessary, Sarah intercedes to support families as they work with systems and agencies. She has overcome huge obstacles to maintain program funding despite budget cuts and a growing population in need. Sarah works tirelessly to build models for homeless families in other communities throughout NY. She has a depth of understanding and compassion for each member of the families with whom she works.

Janet Levin has worked as part of Anchorage, Alaska’s Children in Transition/Homeless program for many years. She completes all the standard McKinney-Vento duties with hundreds of families a year; however, Janet has extended her influence beyond the schools to be a community leader on ending and preventing homelessness. Janet convinced her local Continuum of Care to use discretionary/prevention funds to serve homeless families and youth who do not meet HUD’s definition of homeless. She worked with her mayor, now Senator, Mark Begich, to become a leader in our national effort to expand HUD’s definition of homelessness. And Janet convinced the Alaska public housing agency to give priority for subsidized housing to families identified as homeless by school districts.

One of Janet’s reference letters remarked: “Thanks to Janet’s leadership, housing and homeless services in the state of Alaska are more family-friendly than ever. Janet would be the first to say that there is much more work to be done, and that children and youth continue to suffer; however, Janet has worked tirelessly to move her community closer to providing safety and stability to its homeless families.”

In 1998, the Erie County Bar Association (PA) considered the creation of a “signature community service project” to be operated by its membership. At the same time, an article about the 350 homeless students appeared in the local newspaper. This struck a chord that led to a partnership with the Erie School District to form Attorneys & Kids Together (AKT) to provide for the educational needs of the homeless student population in Erie County.

AKT’s advocacy, support, and leadership have provided numerous services and opportunities to students in rural areas and more populous zones. Since 2000, AKT has raised over $100,000 for its educational programs, in addition to their volunteer and in-kind contributions. Through various drives and awareness efforts, AKT has provided backpacks, school uniforms, winter coats, and books for local children and youth experiencing homelessness. In addition, AKT has installed computer study rooms in local shelters, created a Senior Fund that provided $8,300 to 39 high school seniors, and mentored 89 students through the Kids Konnection mentoring program. Through Attorneys & Kids Together, the Erie County Bar Association truly has been a partner that understands the complex needs of homeless students.

Samantha (center) receives her award from NAEHCY Member-At-Large, Mattie McVey Lord (left)
and NAEHCY President, Tim Stahlke (right)

“It is impossible to think of the word 'Samantha' without thinking of the word 'amazing'.” This is how one of Samantha Fay’s reference letters began. Samantha is a high school senior whose school supply donation drive is now entering its fourth year. During her first year of high school at Lake Ridge Academy in North Ridgeville, Ohio, Samantha responded to a newspaper article about homelessness with a grand idea: Working within her high school to collect backpacks and school supplies for homeless students in the Cleveland School District. She created and manages every aspect of the project, from gaining permission from her school administration to start the project, to involving her fellow students, to ultimately delivering a school bus filled with school supplies to Cleveland’s McKinney-Vento program.

Last year, Samantha delivered over 45,000 items and has also initiated a Christmas gift bag project. Samantha has organized and orchestrated her school supply drives so well that the school district has replicated her model with other organizations wishing to donate items. And, to guarantee that her school supply project will continue when she goes off to college next year, Samantha has institutionalized a partnership between her high school and Cleveland’s McKinney-Vento program.

This 16-minute video is a powerful awareness tool that shows children talking about the difficulties they experience in trying to obtain an education while being homeless. As its title suggests, In Their Own Voices discusses homelessness through interviews with children who have experienced it. The video respects the power of children’s opinions and experiences and provides a forum for young people to share their thoughts directly with the audience. It has been used in school districts, Head Start programs, and workshops across the country.

For example, Wisconsin’s McKinney-Vento program provided a copy to every school district in the state, as well as to Head Start and early education programs. A Head Start Enrollment Specialist showed In Their Own Voices at a back-to-school training for her staff. She remarked, “I could have presented statistics, laws, and regulations, but nothing was as powerful as the video. [It] depicted the children’s feelings and stories in a manner that brought the reality of homelessness to our staff.”

In Their Own Voices gives children a voice that reaches across the country. For information on how to get a copy of this video, contact Melody Stankosky at 805-964-4710 x4410.

Marcia (left) receives his award from NAEHCY Member-At-Large, Mattie McVey Lord (right)

Dr. Marcia Zashin of Cleveland, Ohio, has significantly raised the standards for educating children and youth experiencing homelessness. In 1993, she created Project ACT, Action for Children and Youth in Transition, and negotiated a budget to support two afterschool teachers to work in local shelters. Since then, she has grown the project into a national model. To date, Project ACT has served over 33,000 students. At one particular shelter last year, Project ACT provided many layers of service and support for staff, children, and families.

Marcia has also served her community in other ways through the Cuyahoga County Children’s Roundtable, the Cuyahoga Commissioner’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Mayors Summit on Education. She is a member of the National Center for Homeless Education Advisory Committee, and has participated on the national evaluation team for the Healthy Schools and Healthy Communities Program.

There are few people working who get up and go to work to change society at the same time they are changing the lives of individuals. Dr. Marcia Zashin is an advocate who strives every day to end homelessness, one child at a time.