ESTEEMED EDUCATOR AWARDED HIGHEST SERVICE HONOR FROM NATIONAL COALITION

Former principal and current chair of the Indiana juvenile justice advisory group recognized for his years of service to youth.

Bob Mardis of Terre Haute, Indiana, will receive the A.L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) during a luncheon at the organization’s national conference next Friday on April 19, 2002. The A.L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award is the highest honor CJJ bestows on a juvenile justice activist.

An elementary school teacher for nearly 40 years, Mr. Mardis has dedicated his professional and personal life to helping children reach their full potential. In 1976, he was appointed by Governor Otis Bowen to represent educators as a charter member of the Indiana Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, which upholds protective standards for the treatment of young offenders and supports local prevention and rehabilitation initiatives. Every subsequent Indiana governor has reappointed Mr. Mardis to the state advisory group; for the past decade, he has served as Chair or Chair designee. Mr. Mardis has also held the national CJJ position of Midwest Regional Chair.

A leader in myriad service and education organizations, Mr. Mardis quite notably has been the Elks Youth Activities Chairman for the past 30 years. In this role, he organizes the Elks “Hoop Shoot” contest that involves more than 7,500 students and 28 schools. He also coordinates the Elks Scholarship and Leadership program.

The A.L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award is named in honor of the founder of CJJ. Ms. Carlisle was a volunteer activist who—like Mr. Mardis—strove to ensure that the nation’s most troubled and vulnerable children would have their futures secured. She worked admirably to build safe communities one child at a time, as has Mr. Mardis.

Who: Bob Mardis, Chair of the Indiana Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group

What: A. L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award Ceremony

When: Friday, April 19, 2002, from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Where: Wyndham Washington, DC Hotel, Monticello Ballroom 1400 M Street, NW, Washington, DC