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February 25, 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.
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