Erica Hewitt, Parents Anonymous® award winner
Parents Anonymous® is the nation's oldest child abuse prevention organization, dedicated to strengthening families and building caring communities that support safe and nurturing homes for all children. Parent-led support groups allow parents to meet weekly and exchange support, insight, and resources that help them be the best parents they can be.
We are thrilled to announce that one of our clients, Erica Monique Hewitt,
recently won the national 2010 Jolly K. Award for parent leadership.
In addition, UCAN staff member Pavla Binkins won an Illinois 2010 Juanita Chavez award for her work with her Parents Anonymous group; this marks the second year in a row that a UCAN staff member has won this award.
Congratulations Erica and Pavla!
The Jolly K. Award is given to a Parents Anonymous® Parent Leader who exemplifies the courage, tenacity and strong parent leadership first demonstrated by Jolly K., the founding parent of Parents Anonymous.
Erica Hewitt is the mother of six children ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old. Erica first heard about Parent Anonymous® in October 2008 when she attended a group meeting in her Chicago community to learn better ways to cope with the development of her teenage children. After joining the group she was later asked to be a Parent Group Leader, a role which she gladly took on with no hesitation. Her group meets once a week on Wednesdays, and she's seen consistent attendance from a group of 10 parents. Erica looks forward to meeting with her group to discuss the difficulties of raising children, and they share stories on how to become better parents. In addition to leading others, Erica feels she's learning too. "I teach, but I'm also learning myself. Sometimes I'm not too sure, but when I hear others' stories, I know I can cope too." Her group facilitator Pavla Binkins notes, "Erica deserves this award because she goes over and beyond what she needs to do. She's enthusiastic about Parents Anonymous® and has real people skills." Erica recently led a book club for her parents, which for some marked the first time they'd read a novel. After reading and discussing their first book, PUSH, they followed it with a trip to see the movie Precious. Other group activities have included a community health effort with group walks and healthy eating tips, an annual Mother's Day brunch, a family barbeque, credit counseling, monthly pot lucks and a weight loss challenge. Throughout, Erica encourages other parents, giving special gifts such as "Mother of the Year" awards in May. She has truly inspired others and has modeled ways for other parents to become leaders in their own homes by providing non-judgmental support, quickly responding to concerns, and by making parents feel and understand their uniqueness in the community. Congratulations Erica!
The Juanita Chavez Award is given to a Parents Anonymous® staff member or volunteer for his/her work in partnering with parents to create and support meaningful parent leadership to ensure better outcomes for children and families.
Pavla Binkins has been a Housing Case Manager with UCAN for two years, and works with Erica's Parents Anonymous® group. She was nominated by her supervisor for this award based on her commitment and dedication to parent leadership. Her role is to support Erica in her role as Parent Leader and to help ensure the group runs smoothly. Working with Erica, Pavla helped initiate the book club and found a sponsor to donate the novel PUSH to each of the parents. However, as Pavla says, "The group is theirs. In order for parents to get the most meaning out of it, they need to participate with their ideas." This marks the second year in a row that a UCAN staff member has received this award; last year, it was won by UCAN's Kathy Walls. Congratulations Pavla!
