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Visionary Blind Atlanta Woman Who Inspires Children To Overcome Their Own Disabilities Receives $120,000 Health Leadership Award
BOSTON (June 22, 2006) – When Annie Maxwell became the director of the program she built, called Social Therapeutic and Recreational Services (STARS), she gave hope and more to a generation of socially isolated and educationally deprived children and their families. STARS offers visually challenged children between the ages of six and 21 a host of stimulating activities, from after-school enrichment programming to field trips, a summer day camp, athletic programs and one-on-one mentoring by visually impaired adults and college students.
Blind from birth, Maxwell, who is often compared with another “Annie,” the legendary Annie Sullivan who taught Helen Keller, seized every opportunity that came her way. With fierce pride and boundless energy, she prepared herself for higher education, a successful career, and a fulfilling family life, all of which she attained. She credits the influence her teachers at the Georgia Academy for the Blind for helping her to gain the skills and self-confidence to become a professional and a leader.
In order to realize her ambitious plans for the STARS program in 1993, Maxwell had to overcome initial resistance from parents and the children, who were skeptical about her plans to take them horseback riding, white-water rafting, skiing, and hiking, even though they were activities the children were interested in. But she met the resistance with determination and persistence and won.
Through STARS, participants develop the skills they need to live independently, but they also receive emotional support and information about issues often overlooked for those living with disabilities, including sex, exercise, nutrition, and substance abuse.
It is for Maxwell’s work establishing STARS that she is being honored as one of 10 outstanding individuals from across America chosen to receive the 2006 Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program award.
“Annie Maxwell is one of those rare people who can make things happen,” says Subie Green, Executive Director of the Center for the Visually Impaired. “Once people know Annie, all stereotypical views of blind people fly out the window. She can work circles around most people and her sense of humor and intelligence are remarkable. Annie has helped us all understand that vision status is the least relevant definition of a person.”
While historically only about half of blind or visually impaired students attending school go on to receive a high school diploma, six of seven participants in STARS graduated from high school last year. Current STARS participants include three visually impaired children in sighted scout troops, a president of a student government association, two members of high school marching bands, and a goal ball team that placed third in regional competition.
“Last summer’s devastating hurricanes brought into focus for all Americans the gaping holes in this country’s safety net,” said Catherine Dunham, Ed.D., Program Director, Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Program. “It reinforced what we know to be true; that local leaders taking the initiative are really the first and best responders whether the issue is access to care or youth development in underserved areas.”
The program awards $1.2 million each year to health leaders who have surmounted personal and other obstacles to help Americans gain access to heath care and social services. Maxwell and this year’s other health leaders were honored at a June 21 event at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey. She will receive $105,000 to further the work of her program and a $15,000 personal award.
Maxwell was chosen from more than 300 people nominated this year. Since 1992, the program has distributed 140 awards in 47 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Those chosen are nominated by civic leaders, health professionals, government representatives and others inspired by their efforts to provide essential health services to their communities. This year’s award winners represent urban and rural areas of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, and the District of Columbia.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
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