Terry Goddard to be Recognized by Children's Organization

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Jan. 19, 2006) The Arizona chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America will present Attorney General Terry Goddard with its Policy Award for his efforts to help victims of polygamy and child abuse in Colorado City.

The Hope for Arizona’s Children Awards will be presented Friday, Jan. 20, at the 17th Annual Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference. The awards luncheon will take place at 12:30p.m. at the Mesa Convention Center, 201 S. Center Street.

“The awards are given to community members and agencies that contribute to the well-being of Arizona’s children and the prevention of child abuse,” said Rebecca Ruffner, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona.

Other awards and recipients include:

  • Prevention Award: Kate Whitaker of Tucson, for her work with the Healthy Families Arizona program that has become a model for Healthy Families of America programs throughout the country.
  • Protection Award: High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force of Maricopa County, for the development of “Meth and Kids” program to protect children found in meth labs.
  • Protection Award: Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development of Phoenix, a program that has helped aid runaway and homeless youth for the past 30 years.
  • Permanency Award: Bob and Rhona Lutton of Phoenix, who have served as foster parents for 20 years and have provided calm, stable and nurturing environments for children.

More than 800 people throughout Arizona are expected to attend the Statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference this year.