Shaq Had a Head Start

09/29/2010

If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday.
Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, 1892-1973

On September 22, the National Head Start Association held an awards dinner, “The Dream Lives On,” which celebrated the 45th anniversary of Head Start. At the dinner tribute was made to pioneers of Head Start such as Edward Zigler, Urie Bronfenbrenner, Marian Wright Edelman, and Ted Kennedy. In addition, the Sargent Shriver Award for Excellence was given to Gayle Cunningham, who began her distinguished career in 1965 as a Head Start volunteer. She now heads the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity, which operates 19 NAEYC-accredited Head Start centers in Birmingham, Alabama. Winners of the Dream Lives On Award for Head Start alumni included…

Patrick Gaspard, the Director of Political Affairs for President Barack Obama;
Dreya Holmes, who as an 11-year-old mobilized a successful campaign that converted an about-to-be-closed community pool into the largest outdoor water “sprayground” in Ohio;
Ramona Ortiz, a lawyer for the Exxon Mobile Corporation; and
Loretta Sanchez, who has served for seven terms as a U.S. Congresswoman from California.

The surprise of the evening was the presenter of the Helen Taylor Outstanding Parent Award, Lucille O’Neal, who talked about how thankful she was that her four children, including NBA star Shaquille, had the opportunity to attend Head Start.

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