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2010 Award Recipients |
Cindy Reed, Youth Award
 Cindy Reed knows all too well how difficult it can be to grow up in the foster care system. As a youth Cindy spent a little over three years in foster care. Then, at age 16, she joined the Nebraska Foster Youth Council, becoming a very active member. Ultimately Cindy’s leadership and commitment would lead her to a career path of serving other youth in foster care as she soon began work in Omaha with the Nebraska Foster Youth Council as a Youth Advisor, working with young people in foster care and alumni ranging in ages from 14 to 24.
The Foster Youth Council is a peer support system actively connecting youth to resources in the community, helping youth to be supported as they should be, express their voices for needed system changes, ensuring they’re a part of needed changes.
“We never turn a young person away. We’re always working on new connections in the community to ensure youth in care, as well as alumni, are supported in their greatness,” says Cindy. “I love my job because I believe that young people are keys to success in change.”
“I get to do what I love everyday and meet amazing young people, it can't get any better than that. I hope to be a model for youth in the community and show the community a successful foster youth story.”
Cindy and husband Randy have a 2-year old son, Mason, and are expecting Mason’s little brother in April. Cindy will graduate in May with an MBA from UNO’s School of Social Work. She has been a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sister of the Midlands for the past year.
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Beatty Brasch, Individual Award
 In 2003, after serving 13 years as the Lincoln Action Program Executive Director, Beatty retired, going on to found the Center for People in Need. Serving now as the agency’s Executive Director, the Center is a non-profit organization with a mission of removing barriers confronting low-income families and increasing the capacity of human services agencies to provide families with additional support. The Center helps thousands of individuals and families each year with food and household items, GED and ESL classes, and an ever-expanding job training program - all designed to enable client self-sufficiency.
Well-known in the Lincoln area, Beatty is an advocate for the low-income, having spent decades working on their behalf. Her single-minded mission of addressing the most complex issues facing the disadvantaged in her community provides opportunities for families, lifts them out of poverty, leading them to economic self-sufficiency.
With nearly 15 percent of Nebraska children living at or below the poverty level, Beatty recognizes the critical importance of helping these children’s parents become self-sufficient, breaking the chain of poverty.
“Whatever we can do to help parents become self-sufficient, helps children,” Beatty said. “When their parents are not stressed about where the family’s next meal is coming from, it helps children.”
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Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska, Organization Award
Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska is a Community Action Partnership and member of a national network of over 1,000 community action agencies across America. A non-profit community based health and human services organization, the agency serves low-income, disadvantaged, and those unable to meet their needs through other sources. The agency, established in 1965, provides services to over 9,000 individuals, children and families in five main program areas: child development, health services, family and community development, housing services and youth services.
While some programs serve a wider area, the main service area is Nebraska’s southern panhandle. The agencies’ programs impact hundreds of lives daily through their dedicated work. The agency, located in Gering, is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders, low-income representatives and elected officials.
Community Action Partnership previously worked with Voices for Children to promote health care outreach for children. Most recently, Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska has worked with staff at Voices for Children in Nebraska to develop and implement a statewide program providing financial education and opportunities for matched savings to lower-income individuals and youth. This effort is being provided through our newest site - The Opportunity Center - at which we also provide business development training, job skills training and match savings programs for short- and long-term asset purchases.
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Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church, Faith-based Award
The United Methodist Church has a long and extensive witness advocating for the well-being of all children. Most recently the Council of Bishops led the denomination through an Episcopal Initiative on Children and Poverty. Local churches were engaged to become “A Church for All God’s Children.” This holistic model included spiritual formation of children, direct services to children, as well as an advocacy component.
During the organization's 22-year history, Voices for Children in Nebraska has had a relationship with many areas of the United Methodist Church. The Women's Division promotes advocacy for children on local, national and international scales with networks across the world. The Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church has provided salary support for a three-year missionary position at Voices for Children in Nebraska. Voices staff members have spoken at many Children's Sabbath services across the state, provided numerous advocacy trainings, as well as received support from several local churches and congregation members. Most recently the United Methodist Conference began placing young adult summer interns at Voices for Children to promote our mission and work in congregations across the state.
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Father Val Peter II, Lifetime Achievement Award
 Father Peter’s service to children as a youth advocate, educator, and friend has spanned more than four decades. Father Val J. Peter, a Nebraska native, retired in 2005 after serving 20 years as the fourth Executive Director of Girls and Boys Town, the original Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home. He now serves as Executive Director Emeritus.
Besides the Village of Boys Town, Nebraska, now including more than 70 homes, 550 youth, two schools and a vocational career center, Father Peter oversaw 19 program sites stretching from coast to coast, including the Boys Town National Research Hospital located in Omaha.
Through these programs, Girls and Boys Town directly cares for 45,000 troubled girls and boys each year, helps nearly 450,000 children and families through calls made to the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline and indirectly assists more than 1 million children and families through outreach and training programs – all initiated to make a reality of Father Flanagan’s dream of changing the way America cares for her children and families.
Father Peter stresses, “The most important job a man can have in his life is to be a father. I’m privileged to be able to be a father for so many boys and girls. That’s the fun of having been executive director at Girls and Boys Town. Our programs actually help kids get better, and at the same time, help them to feel part of a real family.”
Father Peter serves on the boards or committees of more than 20 national and local organizations and has published numerous books and popular and scholarly articles. Father Peter holds doctorate degrees in Canon Law and Theology. |
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