MSU’s Poole recognized for family advocacy
Contact: Emile Pennington
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Callie Poole, project manager at Mississippi State’s Social Science Research Center Systems Change Lab, will be honored by Families as Allies Monday [Feb. 24] during its Community Partnership Celebration.
Poole is receiving the organization’s Helen Reddy Johnson Award, presented in memory of the cherished board member to someone who “exemplifies valuing every child and family,” for her advocacy of families and early childhood development. Families as Allies is a Mississippi nonprofit organization run by parents of children with behavioral health challenges, supporting and advocating for these families.
Poole works closely with Families as Allies through the Mississippi Early Childhood Development Coalition. This coalition is a collaborative effort involving the SSRC, Families as Allies, Mississippi Families for Kids and the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for the Advancement of Youth, aiming to “provide a platform where families and other stakeholders in early childhood service provision can share resources and expertise.”
“Receiving this award is a huge honor. I am passionate about inclusion,” Poole said. “Seeing the barriers that families can face in different systems can be really frustrating. I am proud to be part of an effort to bring some of those barriers to light and see what can be done to make things easier for parents and caregivers, who are already working so hard to help their children thrive.”
Heather Hanna, SSRC associate research professor and director of the Systems Change Lab, complimented Poole’s leadership and support for the Coalition.
“Working with our partners has fostered the success of the coalition,” Hanna said. “Each partner contributes a unique perspective on the system, enabling the development of robust collaboration across sectors, and Callie’s commitment to facilitation, which reflects the values of a member-led coalition, has been the driving force that has kept this group united and consistently growing.”
The SSRC Systems Change Lab’s team of researchers works with partners across the nation to address issues, using comprehensive research services to analyze problems and offer solutions. Researchers provide technical guidance to empower government entities, foundations and private organizations to make well-informed decisions to solve complex problems.
To learn more about the Mississippi Early Childhood Development Coalition, visit www.bit.ly/MSECDC.
The SSRC is online at www.ssrc.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.