TORONTO, Ontario: Today, Terri Hammerback, an Advocacy Officer in the Office of Manitoba’s Children’s Advocate, received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Children’s Services at a luncheon ceremony held in conjunction with the Canada’s Children - Canada’s Future Conference.

The national award, sponsored by the Child Welfare League of Canada*, recognizes an employee who has demonstrated exceptional commitment, creativity and dedication in their direct work with children, youth and families in the child welfare system.

In commenting on Hammerback’s award, Peter Dudding, MSW, RSW, Executive Director of the Child Welfare League of Canada, stated that Terri’s contribution and love for the children and families with whom she works is a symbol of how caring people working within the child welfare system can greatly enhance the lives of children, youth and their families.

"Ms. Hammerback’s example can serve as a role model to us all," said Dudding. "She is a caring professional who uses her years of experience and contacts to cut through red tape and bureaucracy to secure housing, financial support, treatment services and other desperately needed resources for her clients."

In accepting the award, Hammerback said, "It is an honour to be here to accept this award today. I thank my colleagues who nominated me, but mostly I thank the children that I have served. It has been a privilege to work with these children and their families. These young people struggle to make it through each day. They are the courageous ones and I dedicate this award to each and every one of them. Thank you".

Ms. Hammerback began her career at the Manitoba Youth Centre in 1972 where she held posts as a Juvenile Counsellor, Cottage Supervisor and Program Consultant. She spent nine years as a Probation Officer for Manitoba Justice, Community and Youth Corrections prior to beginning her employment in the Office of the Children’s Advocate in 1994.

Ms. Hammerback has served as a consultant to the original founding members of the Teen Touch crisis phone line. She organized the first family violence groups for female offenders and anger management groups for teens in conflict with the law. Ms. Hammerback was also instrumental in the development of Youth Justice committees, an alternative measure to the courts for youth in conflict with the law. She has been a project coordinator at Main Street Project, a street level rehabilitation program for drug, alcohol and solvent abusers. She developed the first girls’ cottage unit within the Manitoba Youth centre, including structured educational, rehabilitative and community programming specific to the needs of female youth. She was selected as one of fifty delegates from around the world for the 1998 International Summit of Sexually Exploited Youth held in Victoria. Ms. Hammerback has coordinated three National Crime Prevention Months for Project Prevention, a community based crime prevention program of the Manitoba Society of Criminology.

"It is very rewarding to see Terri Hammerback receive national recognition for the tremendous sense of energy, compassion and dedication that she continues to bring to a job that is often highly-challenging and complex," said Janet Mirwaldt, Manitoba’s Children’s Advocate.

Manitoba’s Children’s Advocate believes Terri’s greatest talent is her ability to connect, and remain attached to the children, youth and families she has served over the last twenty-nine years. Mirwaldt added that Terri could remember intricate details of a family’s background, the history of her involvement with them and their concerns because she is deeply and genuinely interested in the well being of the families she serves. Children, with whom she worked during the early years of her career, today seek out Terri’s help and advice in instances where their children and grandchildren are in need of advocacy services.

"Terri and the Advocates who work within our office all understand that our commitment to those we serve does not end at five p.m.," said Children’s Advocate Janet Mirwaldt.

Dr. Keith Hildahl, Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre wrote a letter of support for Hammerback’s nomination. He stated that Terri is deserving of the award due to her outstanding dedication, commitment and ultimate creativity in working with the least empowered kids in the system to develop creative and viable solutions to the problems in their lives and then working with persistence and dedication to ensure that those plans will come to fruition.

"Never give up," said Dr. Hildahl. "This statement would start to capture the depth of Terri Hammerback’s dedication and commitment to children and youth in our community."

This is the second major award that has been won by members of the Office of Manitoba’s Children’s Advocate. Last August at WorldForum 2001 in Limerick, Ireland, the International Forum for Child Welfare awarded Manitoba’s Children’s Advocate top honours for her package of information materials directed to children, youth and families.

The Children’s Advocate exists to represent the rights, interests and viewpoints of children receiving, or entitled to receive, child and family services in Manitoba. As an independent office of Manitoba’s Legislative Assembly, the Children’s Advocate reports directly to the legislative assembly and operates in an arm’s length relationship with the child welfare system.

-30-