Award Recognizes Outstanding Efforts to Improve Eye Health Services for Children in the United States
The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has issued the call for nominations for the third annual “Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award.” The Award recognizes significant efforts by an individual or group of individuals to improve public health approaches for children’s vision and eye health at the state or national level. The deadline for submission is June 16, 2017.
The award was established by the NCCVEH Advisory Committee to commemorate Bonnie Strickland and her groundbreaking work to establish a comprehensive system for children’s vision in the United States. Strickland served as Director of the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau prior to her retirement in 2014.
Nominees for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award may include individuals (such as a parent advocate, legislator, or professional) or a group comprised of diverse stakeholders, including family and community leaders, who are implementing changes to improve children’s vision and eye health in the United States. Nominees should demonstrate an impact in one or more areas of a public health system supporting children’s vision:
- Key Stakeholder Engagement or Collaboration, including representation from families and diverse racial/ethnic/geographic and socio-economic levels target populations
- Training and Education
- Public Awareness
- Provision of Resources and/or Services
- Surveillance and Accountability
- Reduction of Health Disparities
- Infrastructure Development- Local, State, or National Level
The Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award Committee will review all nominations and select the award winner.
The Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award will be presented to the recipient at the NCCVEH annual meeting, Aug. 5, 2017, in Alexandria, Va. The award consists of a commemorative plaque, recognition and opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting, and roundtrip airfare for one to Alexandria, Va., along with one night of lodging. The award recipient will be featured on the website for the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health with an overview of their program.
Past recipients of the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award include The Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Children’s (PPOC) based at the Boston Children’s Hospital in Brookline, Massachusetts, the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) at Princeton Vision Clinic based at the Illinois College of Optometry, and in 2016 Honorable Mention for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award was awarded to Vivian James, PhD, North Carolina Preschool Exceptional Children Coordinator for the Office of Early Learning – State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction.
“Our mission at Prevent Blindness is to help preserve and protect healthy vision, and as part of that, we want to recognize the efforts of those who are joining in this important cause,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We invite all those who are making a difference in the lives of our kids to apply for this Award and share their ideas and successes so that others can use these concepts in their own communities.”
For more information or to submit a nomination for the 2017 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, please visit http://nationalcenter.advocacy.preventblindness.org/content/bonnie-strickland-champion-childrens-vision-award, or contact Kira Baldonado at (800) 331-2020 or [email protected].
