Tuesday April 1, 2008
Mayor Jerry Abramson tonight will recognize four individuals for their outstanding contributions in making a difference in the lives of young people.
Youth service workers from Metro United Way, Maryhurst, the Neighborhood House Community Center and Iroquois Middle School will be honored at a ceremony tonight, April 1, beginning at 7 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium, 970 S. 4th Street.
Greg Hudelson from Metro United Way will receive the Distinguished Youth Service Award for a lifetime of service in helping youth.
“We’re proud to honor the men and women who work everyday to make a difference in the lives of young people,” Abramson said. “It’s an important role as they are building Louisville’s future by giving youth the tools they need to achieve personal success, go higher in education and prepare for better jobs.”
The Mayor’s Youth Service Worker Awards is coordinated by the Louisville Metro Office of Youth Development (OYD), and winners were selected from a pool of 44 applicants by an independent judging panel consisting of past award winners and other individuals with a strong knowledge of working with youth.
The Youth Service Worker Awards were started in 1998 to honor individuals in the community who go “above and beyond” in making a difference in the lives they serve. The Office of Youth Development was created in 1987 by Mayor Abramson to provide programs and activities that focus on improving key developmental outcomes for youth. The OYD serves as a community resource for public policy, collaboration, training and youth service information.
In addition, 22 individuals earned “youth worker training” certification by the OYD. This free training for youth service workers was started in 1997. It consists of nine monthly sessions on a variety of youth-related topics such as how to help youth pursue college, career programs, preventing teenage suicide and communicating with youth. Expert speakers lead the sessions and participants earn certification after completing 30 hours of training. The people certified at tonight’s awards ceremony attended sessions in 2007.
Mayor’s 2008 YOUTH SERVICE WORKER Award Winners
The Mayor’s Youth Service Worker Awards were created in 1998 to honor individuals for outstanding contributions in working with youth in Louisville.
2008 Distinguished Service Award
Greg Hudelson, Metro United Way
Greg is the Community Coordinator of the Program Review Teams in Jefferson, Oldham and Shelby Counties for Metro United Way. He has been with Metro United Way since 1987 and has been involved with the needs of youth all of that time. He was instrumental in establishing a nationally-recognized partnership between the Office of Youth Development and Metro United Way through several programs including: Non-school Hours/Every 1 Reads Grants, Afternoon of Youth Development, Outcomes Measurement Training, Organizational Sustainability Training, KidTrax, Youth Venture, and the Karen Kennedy Gallagher Film Festival. These programs (under Greg’s guidance) have provided opportunities for hundreds of young people.
Greg began his career at Jefferson County Juvenile Detention Services and later became a Juvenile Probation Officer and helped numerous youth turn their lives around. Greg has a BA in sociology from Bellarmine University, where he played baseball and was later inducted into the school’s Baseball Hall of Fame. He also volunteers in the community as a baseball and soccer coach for local leagues. He and his wife, Nina, have been married for 26 years and have two children, Megan, age 20 and Alan, 17.
2008 Youth Service Worker Awards Winners
Ben Langley, Iroquois Middle School
Ben Langley is the Coordinator of the Youth Service Center at Iroquois Middle School. He is committed to the school’s pending transition to a single-gender school to help students achieve academic goals. He brought the “Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Fit 4 Me Program,” an after-school nutrition and physical activity program, to Iroquois Middle. Ben was successful in obtaining a Prichard Committee grant for the school to help bridge the gap between parental support and student academic performance. Ben also has lobbied in Frankfort for after-school programming. Ben is bilingual and often speaks Spanish to Hispanic students.
Toni Van Fleet, Maryhurst, Inc.
Toni is a senior worker at Maryhurst for the Treasure Home Program. Maryhurst is the oldest child-welfare agency in Kentucky, providing residential treatment for girls ages 11 to 18 with emotional, behavioral or learning disabilities. Toni is known for her compassion for the girls in her care. She works tirelessly to ensure that Treasure Home is as much like a “home” and is the first in planning for holidays and birthdays for the residents. One of Toni’s greatest gifts is that she will not give up on any of the girls. She will do everything possible, including seeking advice from others, to let them know she respects and cares about their needs.
Whitney Williams, Neighborhood House
Whitney Williams is the youth program director for the Neighborhood House community center, located in the Portland neighborhood. The youth from the Neighborhood House feel “safe with Whitney” and in the environment she has created. In the midst of ever-changing priorities, she remains positive and upbeat. Whitney has developed an atmosphere where education is important to a group of young people who previously lacked aspirations to succeed in academics. Whitney demonstrates her belief in the potential of each of the youth and her influence is making a lifetime impact on the youth she serves.