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ABLE Families Affirming • Believing • Learning • Empowering |
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For Immediate Release February 14, 2008 ABLE Director named “2008 Champion for Children” Tuesday, February 12, a group of leading coalitions serving children and families in West Virginia honored Ursuline Sister Janet M. Peterworth with the “2008 Champion for Children” award. The award was given for her commitment to children and families and her work as Director of ABLE Families, Inc. The West Virginia Public Policy Forum and Children’s Day at the Legislature event honored Sr. Janet’s efforts while encouraging attendees to push their legislators to enact policies in support of children.
Sr. Janet accepted the award on behalf of the program staff at ABLE Families. She gave credit to all of the people involved in the organization. Then she addressed the conference. “I have come to believe that justice walks on two feet,” she said in her remarks. “One is the foot of direct service—and we all know first hand the importance of direct service. The second foot is that of advocacy. We must use our voice and influence to shape policies and legislation and budgets so that these are made with children in mind. Otherwise we will just keep on fighting the same endless battles.” Sr. Janet is a native of Louisville, KY, who spent the last 14 years helping to improve the lives of families and children in West Virginia. She first came to West Virginia from 1977/78 as a disaster counselor for the West Virginia Council of Churches after the 500-year flood that ripped through the Tug Valley. In her long career of service, she has served as an elementary school teacher and principal, taught inner city youth, was a pastoral associate in northern Indiana, served on the leadership group of the Ursuline Sisters, taught English in Straubing, Bavaria, for a brief period, and was a chaplain at Monongalia Hospital in Morgantown, WV. In 1994, Sr. Janet became director of ABLE Families in Kermit, WV. ABLE Families is a nonprofit, faith-based agency founded in 1994 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wheeling. In the early 1990s, the Sisters committed themselves to explore the needs of southern West Virginia. Since that time ABLE Families has grown from one director to having 19 full and part-time employees and volunteers. ABLE is dedicated to empowering families in the rural Tug Valley area of northern Mingo County, West Virginia. “We especially desire to help people caught in the net of poverty gain more control of their lives,” says Sr. Janet. “We focus on women and children because they suffer most severely the effects of poverty. Our mission is ‘to confront the systemic causes of poverty by supporting families as they make positive changes in their lives.’ ” ABLE (Affirming, Believing, Learning, Empowering) provides a free afterschool program, summer camps, a Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker program, respite for parents of children with emotional/behavioral challenges, adult education, computer training, and nutrition classes. For more information about ABLE’s programs call 304 393 4987 or visit www.ablefamilies.org. Contact: Sr. Janet M. Peterworth Or Tracie Blummer |
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