La Plata, MD – Catherine Meyers, President of the Maryland Children’s Alliance Executive Board and Executive Director of the Center for Children, presented Austin J. Slater Jr. and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) with the 2014 Maryland Children’s Alliance Team Excellence Award for Community Service. The Center for Children was pleased to nominate Mr. Slater for his outstanding commitment to community service and for his leadership within the Southern Maryland community.
SMECO has partnered with the Center for Children for 25 years to provide services to the children of Southern Maryland. They have been critical to the Center’s growth and expansion of services. Not only do they sponsor events, they also provide in-kind services to support the Center in maintaining its facility, in addition to extending the use of their meeting rooms. “Mr. Slater and SMECO are always keeping in mind the big picture of lighting up the lives of our children. SMECO is a role model in community investment and their leader, Mr. Slater, is a role model to us all” said Catherine Meyers.
The Maryland Children’s Alliance is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance and they work with and represent the 20 member-child advocacy centers, including the Center for Children, Inc., the designated Child Advocacy Center for Charles County. The 2014 Team Excellence Awards recognize individuals/businesses that are committed to the safety of children within their community and act as “Champions for Children.”
Established in 1989, the Center for Children is a private, non-profit organization that believes every child in need should have the opportunity to receive quality mental health care. We are dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and the promotion of positive mental health through crisis intervention, therapy, education, and advocacy. The Center is currently the largest provider of children’s mental health services in Southern Maryland.