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Accolades 2024: The Texas Academy Awards of Child Advocacy

November 1 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

This is a very special year for CHILDREN AT RISK as we celebrate 35 years of advocacy for those who need it most – our children! Our annual Accolades Luncheon, The Texas Academy Awards of Child Advocacy, has recognized numerous child advocates in our communities, elevated key priorities for children, and raised critical funds to support our mission to improve the quality of life for Texas children. This year’s luncheon will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024, at the beautiful Hotel Zaza Museum District in Houston from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m and will be a culmination of our year-long 35th anniversary celebrations! 

 We are delighted to have our past CHILDREN AT RISK Board Chairs as our Accolades Event Chairs for this year’s Luncheon. As we celebrate our 35th Anniversary, we will highlight the critical importance of child advocacy to enact systems change that will lead to long-term positive impact for children.  CHILDREN AT RISK continues to lead the way in driving change so that every child receives equitable opportunities, a quality education, access to nutrition and healthcare, and is free from the dangers of human trafficking and exploitation.    

2024 Accolades Luncheon Co-Chairs

2024 Accolades Luncheon Honorees

HEALTH LEGACY

Mark Wallace,

Former President & CEO, Texas Children’s Hospital

VOICE FOR CHILDREN

State Representative James Talarico,

District 50

Statewide Nominees

CHILD HEALTH ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Shreela Sharma PhD, Co-Founder, Brighter Bites
Steven Kelder PhD MPH, Executive Board Member, Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH)
Kimberly Avila Edwards MD, Director of Advocacy and External Affairs, Dell Medical School, The University of texas at Austin
RISING STAR IN CHILD ADVOCACY
Jenna Lewis, General Counsel, Office of Senator Tan Parker
Travis Evans, Southern Region Director, Young Invincibles
Selena Saldana, Legislative Director, Office of Representative Senfronia Thompson

 

EDUCATION ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR
Lisa Descant LPC, LMFT, CEO, Communities in Schools
Lupita Hinojosa EdD, Superintendent, Spring ISD
Danny King PhD, Executive Director, Region 1 Education Service Center
EXCELLENCE IN EQUITY NON-PROFIT
Teresa Granillo, AVANCE, Inc
Thomas A. Saenz, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
Amber Sims, Young Leaders Strong Cities
OUTSTANDING CHILD FOCUSED NON-PROFIT OR NON-PROFIT PROGRAM
Big Thought – Erin Offord, CEO
Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas – Beth Myers, CEO
Pre-K4 SA – Sarah Baray PhD, CEO
OUTSTANDING NON-PROFIT COLLABORATIVE OR COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM
Greater Houston Opportunity Youth Collaborative – Adriana Wilson, Managing Director
Bexar County Education Coalition – Julia Grizzard, Executive Director and Founder
The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB) – Dr. Charleta Guillory, Chair TCHMB; Susan Dimitriejvic, Clinical Lead
OUTSTANDING NON-PROFIT RESEARCHER
Deanna M. Hoelscher, PhD, RD, LD, CNS, Regional Dean, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Austin, 
Director, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living
Sarah Messiah, Professor of Epidemiology & Pediatrics, Associate Dean for Research Affairs (interim), Director, Child and Adolescent Population Health Program, Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Alan Cohen, Founder & CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)

Regional Awards

OUTSTANDING CHILD ADVOCATE
Houston, Gulf Coast, and East Texas
Carolyn Watson, Executive Director, William Stamps Farish Fund; Co-Chair, Greater Houston Opportunity Youth Collaborative
Cynthia Colbert, President & CEO, Catholic Charities
OUTSTANDING CHILD ADVOCATE
El Paso and West Texas
Rafael Garcia, Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish
Adrian Vega, Executive Director, Education Partnership of the Permian Basin
Ruben Garcia, Director, Annunciation House
OUTSTANDING CHILD ADVOCATE
Austin, San Antonio, and Central Texas
Celina Moreno, CEO, Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)
Viridiana Tule Carrizales, Co-Founder and CEO, ImmSchools
Adrian Lopez, CEO, Alamo Workforce Solutions
OUTSTANDING CHILD ADVOCATE
Rio Grande Valley
Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu, Executive Director, Christian’s Manor
Francisco Almaraz, CEO, Workforce Solutions Rio Grande
Karina Chapa, Executive Director, Texas Association for Bilingual Education
OUTSTANDING CHILD ADVOCATE
Dallas, Fort Worth, and North Texas
Bethany Edwards, Executive Director, Early Learning Alliance
Lindsey Speed, Executive Director, Traffick 911
Monica Ordonez, Program Director, Bachman Lake Together

THANK YOU, SPONSORS!

Victoria Garcia

The Children’s Assessment Center Foundation

Wellpoint

Ruth J. Simmons

Camden

Prism Energy Solutions

Clifford Chance

Paula and Reginald DesRoches

Special Thanks!

Jeremy Samuels

Ruth Roylance

Regina Rogers

Ginni & Richard Mithoff

Bob & Chris Snyder

Alessa Serda

John Seo

Doe & Henry Florsheim

Mark Troth

Chris Wallace

Larry Wisniewski

We had a fabulous time last year!

Last year, we were honored to have Robert and Georgiana Ladd and Ben and Mary Patton as Chairs and to give extra ‘kudos’ to our honoree Dr. Ruth Simmons, a native Texan and a trail blazer in the field of education on a national level. 

For more information, please contact Michelle Bowman at mbowman@childrenatrisk.org or 713.301.6970.

Details

Date:
November 1
Time:
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Hotel ZaZa
5701 Main Street
Houston, TX 77005 United States