Release Date: Feb 16, 2007
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Summary:
Montgomery County Family and Children First Council Recognizes Elba Alicia Pagan and Raymond Two Crows Wallen with Award

Next Friday, February 16, 2007, the Montgomery County Family and Children First Council will present the Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., Ph. D. Award to Elba Alicia Pagan and Raymond Two Crows Wallen. The 2006 Award recognizes their exemplary, work to nurture and promote successful youth development in the Miami Valley for many years through many venues and resources. 

Ms. Pagan and Mr. Two Crows Wallen are co-founders of a grassroots organization known as Ga-Li.  For more than twelve years, this partnership has worked with a plethora of community-based organizations and educational/cultural institutions to facilitate cultural competency and creativity in youth as well as older persons.  They embrace and promote the importance and effectiveness of using the arts as a mean of reaching the minds and hearts of people from a vast array of ages, cultures, races and faiths. Ms. Pagan and Mr. Two Crows Wallen created an array of workshops, concerts and hands-on activities that offer personal development information and help to encourage community connections across generations, neighborhoods and cultures. They have mastered that art of story telling and engaging others to facilitate a sense of community through the attributes of sharing, listening and caring.

The Council created this award as a tribute to Brother Fitz, past president of the University of Dayton and Chair of the Council from 1996 to 1999, for his years of leadership and service to the community.  He also co-chaired the Montgomery County Child Protection Task Force from November 1993 to February 1995, and co-chaired the 2003 Human Services Levy Campaign.   

Ms. Pagan and Mr. Two Crows Wallen will receive this award and be honored at the annual awards luncheon on February 16th.  The Council will solicit nominations for the 2007 Award in the fall.