2024 Child Health Advocate and NOW Youth Leadership Awards Celebration

We'll be celebrating this year's awardees in style at La Vie in the Washington, DC Wharf. This festive and high-energy event is open to all members of the children’s environmental health community.
This soiree is designed to honor our celebrants while encouraging cross-pollination and collaboration within the field, especially for early-career professionals, students, and youth. The evening will begin with ample networking time, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres. The subsequent award presentation and brief inspiring remarks will re-energize attendees to continue their work to protect children's health and the environment. We'll finish the night off with dancing and a cheers to the awardee's hard work!

• Community Award: Ruth Santiago, JD, LLM, Environmental health advocate and lawyer
• Policy Award: Don Hoppert, Director of Government Relations, American Public Health Association
• Media/Arts Award: Mary Annaïse Heglar, Writer, editor, teacher, and podcast host
• Business Award: Barry A. Cik, PE, CP, BCEE, QEP, CHMM, REM, Founder and Technical Director, Naturepedic
• Science Award: Sacoby Wilson, PhD, Director, Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health; Professor, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health University of Maryland School of Public Health; Co-Director, US EPA Region III Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC); Director, Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund
• NOW Youth Leadership Award: Vinav Shah, Student; Founder, AirAwareSchools; Creator, Climate Crisis Card Game
• NOW Youth Leadership Award: Valencia Bednar, Student; Volunteer, Moms Clean Air Force

As part of the broader commemoration of Children’s Environmental Health Day, this event will highlight the importance of equity, action, and community in addressing the challenges facing children’s health today.

This event is sponsored by the Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation, Naturepedic, Consumers for Dental Choice, American Public Health Association, Metropolitan Group, GreenLatinos, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Early Opportunities Fund, and Environmental Defense Fund.

Host or Publisher Children's Environmental Health Network