Awards Named for Alice King, Amy Biehl among the Honors Being Bestowed

PRESS RELEASE
June 27, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sharon Kayne, Communications Director, NM Voices for Children, 505-244-9505 

ALBUQUERQUE—A total of four youths and five adults will be honored today for their work to make New Mexico a better place. The presentations will be made during the 4th Annual KIDS COUNT Conference, which begins 7:30am and is presented by New Mexico Voices for Children.

Four New Mexico youth will receive the 22nd Annual Amy Biehl Youth Spirit Award. They are: Sofia Jensen (first place in the 13-18 age group), Carolina Belmares Ortega (first place in the 19-26 age group), Sasha Butcher (second place in the 13-18 age group), and Raul Antonio Granillo (second place in the 19-26 age group). All four are from Albuquerque and have done community service work with local organizations and/or advocacy.

The Alice King Public Service Award will go to Paula Tackett, the long-time director of the state Legislative Council Services. Senator Howie Morales (D-Silver City) and Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Albuquerque) will both receive Legislative Advocacy Awards. Nancy Jo Archer, formerly of Hogares, and Jerry Montoya, of the state Department of Health, will both receive Spirit of Hope Awards.

“Here at Voices we are so often the harbinger of bad news, that it’s refreshing to celebrate the good that is all around us,” said Veronica C. García, Ed.D., executive director of the child advocacy agency. “All of these individuals have made significant contributions to New Mexico. Whether they do it by working directly with individuals or by crafting and shaping policy behind-the-scenes, they have all woven remarkable threads into the tapestry that is our state,” Dr. García added.

The awards ceremony will be held from 11:45am to 12:45pm at the Marriott Pyramid at 5151 San Francisco Rd NE, in Albuquerque. Head shots of the honorees and some event photos will be available afterward.

The KIDS COUNT Conference is sponsored by: CHI St. Joseph’s Children, Brindle Foundation, and Nusenda Credit Union, with a special thanks to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

More information about the awards and the recipients is attached separately.

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities.
625 Silver Ave. SW, Suite 195, Albuquerque, NM 87102; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org