Holly Naylor, CAP Council Coordinator and Deanna Norris, Award recipient
The 2022 Champion for Children award recipient was announced during LACASA’s Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Council’s virtual “Plant a Pinwheel Celebration” in April. Deanna Norris was honored for her long-term and foundational support of child abuse and neglect prevention efforts in Livingston County.
The Champion for Children award is a joint effort between the CAP Council and the Great Start Collaborative of Livingston County to recognize outstanding individuals who devote significant time and energy to helping children in Livingston County.
Norris was the coordinator for the Child Abuse Prevention Council for many years. Through that work, she expanded fundraising for abuse prevention efforts, which allowed the CAP Council’s educational outreach to include a much larger population. At one point, her efforts led to training the entire Howell Public Schools’ staff on child sexual abuse prevention, impacting thousands of children that year alone.
She was innovative in her approach to prevention, always seeking out current data and programs that would work best in Livingston County. Although her role was part-time, Norris put in many hours of volunteer time over and above her paid time to assure that this critical work was done.
In addition to her time with the Child Abuse Prevention Council, Norris was one of the original members of Positively Pinckney. Positively Pinckney is an organization comprised of highly-motivated Pinckney parents, teachers, and community members who had an idea to create and put in place a strategic marketing plan to attract and bring new families to the area of Pinckney. Norris was an early member of this group and put in many hours to make sure that members of the Pinckney community, and those outside of Pinckney, understood what a wonderful place it is.
“Today’s prevention efforts would not be possible without the work done by those who preceded us,” said Holly Naylor, LACASA’s Director of Family Prevention and Education. “Sir Isaac Newton said ‘if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,’ and Deanna Norris is a giant in the field of protecting children in Livingston County.”
For questions about CAP Council, or any of its programs, contact Holly Naylor at hnaylor@lacasacenter.org or call 517-548-1350.