BY ANGELA KENNEDY
Counseling Today
July 2007

At the Second Annual American Counseling Association Foundation Recognition Reception in May, foundation trustees honored Rita Robinson, Calvin Hawkins and ACA past president Sam Gladding with 2007 Bridgebuilder Awards.

Calvin Hawkins, Rita Robinson and Sam Gladding (front row, from left) received American Counseling Association Foundation Bridgebuilder Awards from (back row, from left) Clemmie Solomon, Terri Lonowski, Courtland Lee, Richard Yep and Marie Wakefield.

The three were selected for their support and service to the ACA Foundation's signature project, Growing Happy and Confident Kids, a special initiative that utilizes literature as a counseling tool. The program strives to increase self-esteem, self-efficacy, understanding of emotions and coping strategies among young students by partnering with elementary schools, community organizations and counseling centers. The Growing Happy and Confident Kids project uses more than 30 works of children's literature as launching points for individual and group interaction that helps participating children become more aware, expressive and confident.

"A couple of years ago, the foundation trustees felt strongly that in addition to the support we provided to professional counselors and graduate students directly, to fully reflect our mission, we needed to reach out into communities in which ACA members work," said ACA Foundation Chair Terri Lonowski. "The response to our initiative has been heartwarming. I am proud to say that we have already provided more than 1,000 books to 50 different schools and agencies across the country."

She added that the books were selected specifically for the helpful, positive messages they offer children regarding personal, family and social issues. "Our goal is to provide a program that blends children's love of reading with stories that help them with issues such as self-esteem, confidence, family relationships, how to deal with bullying and teasing, and increase an awareness of cultural, racial and ethnic diversity," Lonowski said.

The Bridgebuilder Awards are presented annually to individuals who have supported the ACA Foundation's signature project. In recognizing Gladding, a wellknown author and counselor educator, with a 2007 Bridgebuilder Award, Lonowski said, "Sam has been a very special friend of the foundation for a number of years. His generous support of the foundation has included the donation of some of his book royalties to our organization."

Robinson and Hawkins have been extremely active in making a difference in the lives of at-risk children and youth, specifically in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Robinson is a career educator, counselor, administrator and author. She is the former director of the Office of Equity Assurance and Staff Development for Prince George's County, Md., Public Schools. She is well-known in the area for her work with minority students.

Hawkins, the chief of community affairs and education for the Prince George's County Citizen Corps Council, has received numerous awards for his dedication to mentoring young people. He is also a member of the county's Office of Emergency Management.

"We were quite pleased to be able to recognize their contributions to their communities, as well as their ongoing support of the ACA Foundation's Growing Happy and Confident Kids project," Lonowski said.

The reception concluded with a heartfelt acknowledgment of Clemmie Solomon, immediate past chair of the ACA Foundation and the driving force behind the conceptualization, organization and implementation of the Growing Happy and Confident Kids program.

"While often individuals come up with an idea and then move on, Clemmie has consistently demonstrated his dedication by helping to organize the Growing Happy and Confident Kids event each year, as well as giving generously of both his time and financial support to see us reach our goal," Lonowski said.

Get involved

Each of the books being used in the Growing Happy and Confident Kids project was selected for its relevance to growth and development matters faced by today's children. Many of the authors of the selected books have been recognized for their contributions to helping kids understand personal, family and societal issues.

So far, counselors in more than 50 schools and community agencies have implemented this emotional education literature venture. The ACA Foundation's goal is to reach 1,000 elementary schools during the next five years. The ACA Foundation continues to review applications and select participants for the project. To be eligible for the project, interested counselors must:

• Teach, mentor or tutor elementary age children
• Commit to using children's literature as a vehicle for promoting self-esteem, self-efficacy, understanding of emotions, coping strategies or an appreciation of diversity
• Evaluate the impact of the Growing Happy and Confident Kids initiative in the school and submit a final report to the ACA Foundation at the end of the project

A simple one-page application is available through the ACA Foundation website at www.counseling.org/foundation or by contacting Stacy Shaver via e-mail at sshaver@counseling. org.

The ACA Foundation will provide grantees who are members of ACA with 20 books of their choice from among those being offered by the Growing Happy and Confident Kids project (see book list, p. 51), along with an activity and discussion guide. Each book addresses one or more of the issues identified by the project, and the guide will provide information regarding how that book might be used in the counseling environment. Using the discussion guide, counselors will integrate the project's activities into their ongoing counseling activities while also encouraging students to read the provided literature on their own.

Additionally, the ACA Foundation will provide grantees who are not members of ACA with 10 books of their choice and a complimentary one-year membership to ACA.

The ACA Foundation reserves the right to select grantees on a first-come, firstserved basis and to ensure broad geographic distribution. Preference will be given to credentialed school counselors and to schools or organizations that serve children who are disadvantaged economically or in other measurable ways.

Angela Kennedy is a senior writer at Counseling Today. Contact her at akennedy@counseling.org.

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