We’re excited to announce that Amy O’Leary, Strategies for Children’s executive director, has won one of the Eastern Bank Foundation’s 2024 Community Advocacy Awards.
“Each year our Community Advocacy Awards celebrate passionate nonprofit leaders and organizations focusing on the most critical needs in the communities Eastern serves,” Eastern Bank explains on its website.
“This year we honored leaders and organizations working to enrich Early Childhood Development (ECD, crucial infrastructure that builds stronger communities by supporting healthy development of our children, more economic opportunity for our families, and stronger workforce competitiveness for our region.”
“This award recognizes O’Leary for her visionary leadership of SFC, as well as her role in the organization in advocating—through multiple well-defined initiatives—for expansion of high-quality early education and care systems throughout Massachusetts,”the foundation says in a press release.
Nancy Huntington Stager, the president & CEO of Eastern Bank Foundation praised O’Leary and Strategies for Children (SFC) for “making a powerful impact in ECD with their focus on advocacy, building a coalition, convening multiple constituencies who are vested in providing comprehensive ECD opportunities for all children and families. COVID taught us that our region’s economy depends on access to high-quality, affordable early childhood development programming to where families can see themselves living today—and raising their children tomorrow.â€
O’Leary shared her gratitude for the award, saying:
“We are grateful for this special recognition from Eastern Bank Foundation and for their incredible leadership and commitment. Our collective work to improve early childhood systems is much more impactful when done in partnership with leaders from philanthropy, business and government.
“Over the last 30 years, as a preschool teacher, center director, advocate, adjunct faculty member, executive director, and early childhood cheerleader, I have witnessed incredible personal and professional transformations in early educators as they come to recognize and claim the power they have as advocates and experts.
“As early childhood leaders we are committed to reflection and transparency. We have a strong history of leading complex conversations and implementing innovative solutions. Now, it is our time to use all that we know to take action and be the advocates that children, families, and educators need.â€
The other award winners are:
• Kate Barrand, President & CEO of Horizons for Homeless Children
• Lauren Birchfield Kennedy and Sarah Siegel Muncey, Co-Presidents of Neighborhood Villages
• Sue Covitz Executive Director and Magda Rodriguez Senior Director of National Strategy at Families First
• Mike Lachance, CEO of YMCA of Greater Nashua
• Sandra M. McCroom, President & CEO of Children’s Services of Roxbury
• Margaret McDonald, CEO of Clarendon Early Education Services, Inc.
• Maria Gonzalez Moeller, CEO of The Community Group
• Noëlle Pina, Chief of Staff of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
• Geraldine “Jeri” Robinson, Retired VP of Early Learning Initiatives at the Boston Children’s Museum
• Crystal Rountree, Chief Executive Officer of Jumpstart, and
• Aditi Subramaniam, Associate Director of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
We want to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their dedication to improving the lives of young children.