THE 2010 CLEARY AWARD
Candace Radoski honored for her work as a volunteer reaching out to local parents
SCAN's 8th annual Toast to Hope provided the perfect opportunity for SCAN to announce the winner of its 2010 Cleary Award, named for SCAN founder and Alexandria businessman Dave Cleary. This year's honoree is Candace Radoski, a volunteer with SCAN's Parent Education Program. Since 2002 Candace has been a facilitator for SCAN's popular ABCs of Parenting Classes, an 8-week series that focuses on teaching families how to care for one another, nurture children and build family cohesion.
Candace first discovered SCAN's programs eight years ago when she was a new mom struggling with the challenges of parenting. She was looking for support, but soon found a way to share her experiences and help other parents in the community.
"Candace provides invaluable lessons for the families in our parent education program," said Rebekah Beck, SCAN's Education Program Manager. "She is able to use her own experiences to teach parents about child development, positive discipline and family communication skills. Candace has an amazing talent for reaching parents and giving them the tools to help them nurture their children and build their families."
More than 225 guests at SCAN's Toast to Hope had a chance to celebrate Candace, a shining example of the more than 200 volunteers who make SCAN's programs so effective. These programs are critical in our region, especially as families struggle with the challenges of today's economy. According to the Virginia Department of Social Services, more than 7,500 children in Northern Virginia were reported in fiscal year 2009 as suspected of being abused or neglected. Abuse and neglect increases during times of financial stress, and can have even more disastrous consequences for both the child and for our community.
