Boca’s Connie Siskowski named to 2012 CNN Heroes Top Ten
BOCA RATON – Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD, the president and founder of the American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) and its Palm Beach County Caregiving Youth Project (CYP), has been named one of CNN Heroes Top Ten for 2012 and will receive a $50,000 grant to further her work.
Voting for the 2012 CNN Heroes Top Hero is now open online, Siskowski has the opportunity to be awarded $250,000 at the special CNN Heroes ceremony Dec. 2 where one hero will be named “CNN Hero of the Year”. Siskowski was among more than 10,000 nominations received this year by the CNN Heroes program.
“Every online vote for me by email or Facebook makes us one step closer to reaching the goal for the children of AACY,” said Siskowski. The award would make it possible for AACY to receive the significant dollars needed to ensure that more child caregivers locally and nationally will be recognized, valued and supported.
The services provided by Siskowski and her team are for children who care for family members who are chronically-ill or disabled. It extends to both students and their families for all the secondary school years.
AACY’s comprehensive, needs-driven support services assist children in-and-out of school and at home. Locally, the work is in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County.
“It takes the systems of healthcare, education and the community – body, mind and spirit – to form a strong foundation of services for youth and their families who are impacted by a myriad of health conditions” said Siskowski.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins, New York and Lynn universities, Siskowski cared for her own grandfather as a child. The work of her team will be deemed successful when no child in theUnited Stateshas to drop out of school because of family caregiving responsibilities.
CNN Heroes recognizes that just one person can make a difference and today’s heroes are “everyday people changing the world.”
Voting for the CNN Hero of the Year is open online (www.cnnheroes.com) until Nov. 28, and voters can do so up to 10 times a day, every day. The only requirements to vote are a valid email address and Internet access, and there are no age restrictions to vote. Follow AACY on Facebook & Twitter and follow CNN Heroes at Facebook.com/CNNHeroes & Twitter.com/CNNHeroes and use hashtag #CNNHeroes.
The American Association of Caregiving Youth is a Florida based 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that began serving the greater Boca Raton community in 1998. Today it is the only organization of its kind in the United States for addressing the issues surrounding the silent, vulnerable and hidden population, conservatively estimated to exceed 1.4 million children.
