Photo Courtesy of Mary Alice Murphy
Photo: Terry Anderson (second from right) receives the Health Council's Member of the Year Award from Tony Trujillo, Chair Priscilla Lucero and Coordinator Chris DeBolt.
Silver City, New Mexico, July 21, 2014: Grant County Community Health Council honored Terry Anderson with the prestigious Member of the Year award for her efforts, professionally and personally, to advocate for children and youth.
Health Council Coordinator, Chris DeBolt praised Anderson's commitment, "Terry has been a driving force on our Health Council for over 10 years and continues to motivate us all to create a better, healthier and happier childhood for the children of Grant County. She is an inspiration!"
Upon receiving the award, Anderson said, "This is very special. I love my work with the Health Council. There is lots of work to do advocating for children and youth!"
Throughout her life, Anderson has advocated for children and their educational needs. She began her career at historic Saint Mary's Academy, and then developed the child care program at the First United Methodist Church. She spent time with the Head Start Program training teachers. Finally, she joined the staff at Western New Mexico University and, over the course of her career there, she attained the position of Assistant Dean of Early Childhood Education before retiring.
During Anderson's tenure at WNMU, she was recognized in 2010 as one of the 20 Outstanding Women of New Mexico, founded the Challenging Child Conference and helped originate the Community Partnership for Children, a coalition which promotes excellence in child care and addresses family resiliency.
Health Council Chair, Priscilla Lucero said, "Anderson is known for her advocacy to improve the quality of life for children. She has committed her life to seeing that children get the best opportunities in child development and education."
Anderson was also part of the inception of the Higher Education Early Childhood Taskforce which aligned course curriculum at all New Mexico two and four-year institutions so students seeking Associate and Bachelor's degrees can transfer seamlessly between institutions.
Anderson has served as President of the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children, a group near and dear to her heart, "The Association has been the foundation, and offers resources, for how to build quality child care programs." Anderson continues to serve on the Association's Policy Committee.
Anderson also served as Agency Representative to the Preconception to Preteen Life Cycle, one of the Health Council's original community groups that resulted from the first community assessment and worked on age-specific issues. In that role, Anderson helped secured the initial funding for the Family Support Centers.
Currently, Anderson serves locally on the Community Partnership for Children, a Health Council community action team, and on the state-wide Early Childhood Comprehensive System.
Lucero adds about Anderson efforts on the Health Council, "She has done an outstanding job representing the Childcare sector o providing valuable knowledge and expertise for the betterment of all people."
The Health Council is composed of 30 community leaders who represent various sectors in the community with the goal of mobilizing resources and affecting police for a greater positive impact on residents overall health. The Health Council is the Health and Wellness Planning Authority of the Grant County Board of Commissioners and supported by Gila Regional Medical Center.
The Community Partnership for Children next meets on Monday, August 11, 2014, from noon to 1 p.m. in the AmBank Board Room, 1609 N. Swan St. The meeting is open and the public encouraged to attend. For more information on the Health Council call (575) 388-1198 or email: healthcouncil@grmc.org<mailto:healthcouncil@grmc.org or visit the Council's webpage at www.gcchc.org.