The Boston Parents Paper’s 2009 Best of the Best
The 2009 Family Advocate Awards
20 Enduring Heroes for Families
By Deirdre Wilson Where do you turn for help with the biggest challenges of parenting? Who do you talk to when you’re in need? For 20 years now, the Boston Parents Paper has honored the people and organizations who work quietly, steadfastly and often behind the scenes to help Massachusetts children and families in need. We do this with our annual Family Advocate Awards, celebrating people and agencies in the categories of hero, volunteer, role model and public friend. This year, we wanted to recognize the people and organizations that have been here, supporting families, researching and advocating for children’s needs, and strengthening their missions in a very public way over the years. Here then are 20 Family Advocates who remain vital to families across the state. With their help and dedication, our families survive – and thrive.
- T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
Parenting Icon
Why: He’s renowned the world over for infant development research, and beloved by a generation of American parents for his empathic, common-sense childrearing advice. But we like to think of him as ours alone in Massachusetts, where he makes his home. T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., was once dubbed the nation’s most celebrated and influential baby doctor since the late Benjamin Spock. At 91, this outspoken family advocate – author of numerous parenting and child health books, including his landmark Touchpoints series – may well be the last of a handful of child development experts who enjoyed the loyalty of a nation of parents in the 20th century.
What You May Not Know: It’s hard to imagine him as anything but a devoted pediatrician, but Brazelton once aspired to become an actor. His stage presence while an undergrad at Princeton reportedly won the admiration of two fellow students at the time: actor Jimmy Stewart and producer Josh Logan.
- Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund
Preventing Child Abuse
Why: Parenting is “one tough job,” the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) will inform you, and child abuse is an all too common outcome. But rather than play the blame game, CTF (www.mctf.org) works to prevent child abuse and neglect by first acknowledging how hard it is to be a parent and then offering help. CTF funds more than 100 community-based prevention programs statewide, including its One Tough Job parenting support campaign and Web site (www.onetoughjob.org); a newborn home visiting program with mentors offering support and advice to first-time young parents; and the Fatherhood Initiative, which provides networking and support for dads.
What You May Not Know: There’s no shortage of work for this agency. Massachusetts has the third highest rate of child abuse and neglect in the nation, with roughly 100,000 cases reported here each year.
- The Home for Little Wanderers
A Lifeline for Kids at Risk
Why: Once an orphanage for children left homeless by the Civil War, today The Home for Little Wanderers (www.thehome.org) is so much more. With 16 programs statewide – including adoption, foster care, residential care, special education, early childhood intervention, and clinical treatment and prevention – the Boston-based Home protects, nurtures and ensures the wellbeing of kids at risk, their families and communities. From sheltering abused or neglected children to counseling whole families on everything from depression to school problems, The Home offers a steady, guiding hand. Its longtime mantra: “Are we helping?” and “How do we know?”
What You May Not Know: Operating since 1799, The Home is the oldest child welfare agency in the nation and the largest in New England.
- Betsy Weaver, Ed.D.
Founder of the Boston Parents Paper
Why: An educator, former federal policy maker and entrepreneur, Betsy Weaver became a mother in 1982 and quickly saw the need for local, “over the fence” parenting information that would help her juggle work and family. She published the debut issue of the Boston Parents Paper in 1984, quite literally from her kitchen table in Jamaica Plain. The mix of vital, local parenting information and a calendar of family-friendly events struck a nerve. The award-winning magazine is now under different ownership, but continues Weaver’s mission with print publications, community events and a Web site, BostonParentsPaper.com. Parents across Eastern Massachusetts continue to describe the Boston Parents Paper as their childrearing “bible.”
What You May Not Know: Weaver went on to co-found The Parent Review (www.theparentreview.com), where she currently serves as president. The services offers tailored emails on pregnancy, breastfeeding, infant and toddler development, and autism for parents, either directly or through the Web sites of hospitals nationwide.
- Pam Pace and Donna Baker
Support in Numbers
Why: Pam Pace and Donna Baker met at a group for mothers of twins and realized it wasn’t going to meet their needs. As moms of triplets, they were struggling to complete routine tasks, maintain relationships, even to get out of their homes during the day. To connect with and support all parents of multiples – especially those with triplets or more – Pace and Baker co-founded Keeping Pace with Multiple Miracles (KPMM) in 1996. Today, Bridgewater-based KPMM (www.keepingpace.org) offers breastfeeding support; a new moms visiting program; a boot camp for expectant parents; a resale boutique for used clothing and gear; parenting classes; support groups and more. What began with a small, informal meeting in a Randolph living room continues to, well, multiply!
What You May Not Know: KPMM has a “pay it forward” philosophy and actively seeks volunteers, from Girl Scouts helping to baby-sit quadruplets and veteran parents mentoring new parents, to kids and adults working in its resale boutique.
- Jewish Family & Children’s Services
A Lifetime of Support
Why: Whether for a milestone in life or a personal or family crisis, Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JF&CS) has been there to help, for nearly 150 years. JF&CS (www.jfcsboston.org), with offices in Waltham and Boston, serves all ages – from newborns to the elderly – with services ranging from a free, nationally acclaimed visiting moms program for new parents, to help and support for families in financial crisis, the disabled, and senior citizens. Guided by Jewish traditions of social responsibility, compassion and respect for others, JF&CS has helped thousands in 80 Greater Boston communities.
What You May Not Know: JF&CS helps all families, not just those of the Jewish faith. About 40 percent of their clients are not Jewish.
- Alvin Poussaint, M.D.
Committed to Involved Parenting
Why: He doesn’t mince words when talking about children’s most basic emotional needs and parents’ most alarming lapses. As director of the Media Center at Boston’s renowned Judge Baker Children’s Center, Alvin Poussaint, M.D., researches and often rails against the effects of today’s violent, sexual or disrespectful media content. But as a psychiatrist, he’s also an expert on children’s emotional development and overall wellbeing. He has seen child neglect in both low- and high-income families. A prolific writer, he co-authored with comedian and longtime friend Bill Cosby the much-debated book Come On People, which urges African Americans to take a more responsible, committed role in raising their children. Poussaint says that prescription applies to parents across the board. Parenting, he has long recommended, needs to be taught as early as in kindergarten.
What You May Not Know: Poussaint was a script consultant to two long-running, landmark NBC television shows about black American families, The Cosby Show and A Different World.
- Edward Hallowell, M.D.
Positive Attention for AD/HD
Why: For the parents of kids with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), Edward Hallowell, M.D., is nothing short of a godsend. He approaches this condition – which can exasperate even the most understanding teachers, doctors and parents – not as a disability, but as a trait that features unique learning and character gifts. With the right nurturing and guidance, he argues, a child with AD/HD can capitalize on these gifts and thrive. Hallowell has written or co-authored numerous books on AD/HD, including the landmark Driven to Distraction and his most recent work Superparenting for ADD. His Hallowell Centers in Massachusetts and New York help children with AD/HD and their parents learn to both appreciate and manage the condition.
What You May Not Know: One of the foremost experts on AD/HD, Hallowell himself, has the condition.
- Jetta Bernier
Protecting Our Youngest
Why: She has led Massachusetts Citizens for Children (www.masskids.org) as executive director since 1984, but even without the strength this agency provides, Jetta Bernier is a one-woman force against child abuse. She does it by relentlessly teaching the rest of us – from politicians to health providers to parents – how to prevent the abuse of children, whether it’s sexual abuse, child poverty or Shaken Baby Syndrome. Using brochures, videos, lectures and training sessions that she and her agency develop, Bernier latches onto a new campaign and doesn’t let go. She has received numerous awards for her accomplishments, but to us, Bernier’s crowning achievement is quite simply her perseverance. She never gives up.
What You May Not Know: Bernier is the force behind the annual Stroll for Shaken Baby Prevention, which brings parents into Boston with their infants in tow for a walk that raises awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome.
- Project Bread
Ending Hunger
Why: Project Bread (www.projectbread.org) calls itself “the voice of hungry people in Massachusetts and works to alleviate hunger by funding more than 400 food pantries, soup kitchens and food banks statewide. Each May, the organization’s Walk for Hunger, the nation’s oldest continual pledge walk, attracts thousands of committed walkers and volunteers, and pulls in millions of dollars in donations. In addition, this 40-year-old agency advocates for hunger prevention solutions, as well as breakfast programs during the school year and nutritious meals during the summer for low-income kids. Project Bread’s statewide hunger hotline answers 37,000 calls a year from needy families.
What You May Not Know: Donations to local food pantries slow to a trickle in the summer; many people tend to donate during the colder months. This year, with joblessness on the rise and the economy in crisis, the need for donations right now is acute.
- Warm Lines
A Friend to New and Veteran Parents
Why: Long before the explosion of parenting Web sites and chat rooms on the Internet, Warm Lines offered a lifeline for new moms in Massachusetts. As neighborhoods became more isolated for these women, Warm Lines was a phone call away with compassionate advice and information on infant care. Thirty years later, Warm Lines continues its outreach, hosting free New Babies/New Moms groups where new moms can ask questions, share experiences and find support and friendship. It offers parenting seminars, child- and elder-care referrals, and consulting to local companies, and expert speakers on childrearing topics to professionals who work with children and families. Based in Newtonville, Warm Lines serves Greater Boston and Metrowest communities with the parenting support that works best – the human kind.
What You May Not Know: Finding a summer camp for your child can be overwhelming. Warm Lines has a database of day camps organized by program, location, schedule, cost, transportation and more.
- David Ludwig, M.D.
Battling the Bulge
Why: In the continuing fight against childhood obesity, David Ludwig, M.D., has led the charge against fast food, soda, sedentary lifestyles and manipulative advertising. As director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Boston’s Children’s Hospital (www.childrenshospital.org/owl), Ludwig takes a sound, effective approach to changing the way overweight children and their families eat and exercise. But he’s also been a vocal, national critic of fast- and processed-food advertising and school lunch programs that continue to offer high-fat, high-starch and sugary foods. Two-thirds of our current obesity problem could be eliminated, he says, if we reverted back to the lifestyles of 40 years ago, when we ate less fast food, drank less soda and spent more time in fun physical activity and play.
What You May Not Know: Ludwig’s research has found that for each daily soda a child drinks, his chances of becoming obese increase by about 60 percent.
- Federation for Children with Special Needs
Supporting Kids of All Abilities
Why: It’s not easy to advocate for a child with disabilities, and the Boston-based Federation for Children with Special Needs formed as a coalition of parent groups in 1975 in response to that challenge. Today, the Federation’s Parent Center provides information, support and help to parents of kids with disabilities, their health providers and their communities. The agency helps parents understand their children’s rights, particularly in health and education, and lobbies for better public understanding. It brings parents of children with special needs together to share information and support and it trains those parents not only to actively participate in their children’s specialized care but also in the creation of new laws and policies that affect those children.
What You May Not Know: Most Federation staff members are parents or family members of children or adults with special needs. Executive Director Richard Robison is a father of three children, two of whom have Down syndrome.
- David Elkind, Ph.D.
The Value of Play
Why: His landmark 1981 book The Hurried Child made child development expert David Elkind the voice for preserving the simplicity of childhood. Changes in society, a pervasive media, pressure to achieve and over-scheduling, he believes, have pushed children to grow up too soon. His research and advocacy led to numerous campaigns to let kids be kids. A retired Tufts University professor of child development, Elkind is still a strong voice for children. His most recent book The Power of Play underscores what many parents and child development experts continue to worry about today – that children are not given enough opportunities for the simple spontaneous play that best helps them learn and grow. Play, he says, “is child’s work” and essential to the development of a healthy, well-adjusted personality.
What You May Not Know: The Hurried Child has been redistributed in multiple editions over the years and is still thought of as a parenting voice of reason today.
- The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
A Teen’s Legacy of Nonviolence
Why: Louis David Brown was a tenth grader at West Roxbury High School in 1993, when he was fatally shot on his way to the Christmas party of the group he'd just joined, Teens Against Gang Violence. He died the innocent victim of a gunfight. Grief stricken and angry, his parents Joseph and Tina Chery founded the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (www.louisdbrownpeaceinstitute.org) to carry on their son’s legacy of violence prevention. The Institute continues this mission today, with violence prevention curricula in area schools, an annual Walk for Peace, and support and assistance for families of homicide victims. It’s core values: Love, Unity, Faith, Hope, Courage, Justice and Forgiveness.
What You May Not Know: Brown was only 15 when he died, but dreamed of being the first black president of the United States.
- Diane Levin, Ph.D.
and
- Nancy Carlsson Paige
Protecting Child Innocence
Why: They are both professors of education, both national experts on the impact of media violence on children’s wellbeing and both strong advocates for restoring the innocence and imagination of childhood. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, of Cambridge’s Lesley University, and Diane Levin, of Boston’s Wheelock College, have each written extensively on what the media, with its too-often violent or sexual content, has done to children’s emotional development and sense of security. The authors of numerous books, including Carlsson-Paige’s Taking Back Childhood and Levin’s So Sexy So Soon, these two women have long been the watchdogs for child and family wellbeing.
What You May Not Know: While they’ve carved successful, separate careers as child advocates, Carlsson-Paige and Levin have also worked well together – most notably in the 2005 book they co-authored: The War Play Dilemma, which helps parents guide their kids understand and better guide their kids through play.
- Sharon Maxwell, Ph.D.
A Healthy Approach to ‘The Talk’
Why: She advocates talking to children about sexual feelings as soon as they’re able to understand it and continuing to talk in age appropriate ways as they grow. Author of the 2008 book The Talk: What Your Kids Need to Hear from YOU About Sex, Sharon Maxwell, Ph.D., is a Boston-area clinical psychologist and a sound voice for comprehensive sex education – something she says must start with parents. Beyond the scientific basics of reproduction, she argues, today’s kids and teens need to be taught about responsibility, self-respect and self-control in dealing with their own normal, but powerful sexual feelings. With sexual overtones so prevalent in the media, clothing and even children’s toys, she says, parents can and should offer their kids the guidance they need to understand the importance of healthy relationships and intimacy.
What You May Not Know: Maxwell’s focus on children and sex education began in earnest after her then 7-year-old son told her about a video game that showed a woman taking off her clothes once the player was able to kill enough people in the game.
- Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange
From Foster Care to Permanent Families
Why: Often moved from house to house, foster children have one thing in common – they all need a permanent, loving adoptive family to call their own. Since 1957, the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) has helped find adoptive homes for more than 5,000 kids, with foster children as its primary focus. MARE hosts regular adoptive parent recruitment events, and uses the media to help publicize the needs of individual foster kids through photographs and profiles of their personalities, needs and past history. The agency, one of the first of its kind in the nation, tailors its recruitment to meet the needs of each child.
What You May Not Know: Anonymous donors recently gave MARE an art collection with 150 pieces of art valued at $24,000.
- Robert Brooks, Ph.D.
Resilience and Self-Esteem
Why: When psychologist and author Bob Brooks talks before a group of parents or professionals who work with children, he is full of slice-of-life anecdotes – at once funny, reassuring and insightful. His mission: to teach parents how to nurture emotionally strong, well-adjusted, happy kids in a challenging world. In more than 30 years of work, including as director of the Department of Psychology at Belmont’s McLean Hospital, Brooks has focused the most on giving kids – particularly those with special needs – a strong sense of self-esteem and resilience. Still a sought-after speaker and the popular author of numerous parenting books, Brooks has much to say. And he’s well worth hearing from.
What You May Not Know: In recognition of his incredible work with children, Brooks himself has received some pretty confidence-boosting awards, including “Hall of Fame” and “Lifetime Achievement” honors from groups serving children with special needs.
Deirdre Wilson is the senior editor of the Boston Parents Paper.
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