Rick Lawson was named as the 2018 Children’s Champion and John Gizdic received the Starfish Public Advocacy Award, at the Smart Start Breakfast for Children’s Champions at the Hilton Riverside in April, according to a news release.

Other honorees included Lowell Higgins, Maggie Mensch, Qualamoneka Brown, Sarah Barnett, Melinda Crouch and Dionne Sturdivant. All are individuals who have provided exceptional service to young children, birth through age 5, and their families in New Hanover County, officials said in the release.

Lawson was not done contributing to young people after a 25-year career in the schools. As executive director of the Children’s Museum of Wilmington, Lawson lived the museum’s mission to educate and inspire imaginative, independent thinking through hands-on science, math and art experiences and programs.

Lawson considers his greatest achievement to be fostering a learning environment of life-long curiosity and exploration for children as well as their parents.

"Rick has helped many of us to see our childhood again, get excited about the museum’s work, and develop a legacy of learning," said his nominator in the release. 

When Gizdic (right) came to New Hanover Regional Medical Center as president and CEO, he had a mission, officials ssaid.

"Leading Our Community to Outstanding Health" was a mission focused on not just treating patients who entered the hospital setting, but also reaching them in the community where they live. NHRMC staff can now be found throughout the community offering flu shots, vaccines and health education.

Hospital employees and their families have more opportunity to participate in their own health care and other healthy lifestyle decisions, as well as alleviating the stress of meeting their own family budgets, officials said. Early childhood is a critical period of physical and social-emotional development. 

When parents have access to a “healthy community wage” they may experience fewer stressors and hardships and thus are better able to provide the safe, stable and nurturing supports their children need, officials said in the release.

"John has led the organization through a new mission and strategic plan that has already had a profound impact on children and their families," his nominator said in the release.

Brown has served children and families as a teacher’s assistant in early childhood classrooms for 11 years. She currently works with children in a Pre-K classroom at Childcare Network where her nominator said "has never seen a teacher be able to connect with every child in a classroom the way Brown does," according to the release.

Crouch, a local district court judge, has been a pillar in our courts and an advocate for children, her nominator said. The opioid epidemic has taken an unprecedented toll on the community and often ends up in the family courts. Crouch also hears cases where children are charged for crimes. Her nominator said that when faced with this difficult part of her job, Crouch addresses the underlying issues that impede a child’s success.

Higgins has been a pediatric nurse at NHRMC for 18 years. Through his work in the pediatric ICU, a unit that Higgins helped get off the ground, he realized the need for specialized pediatric infusions. This clinic treats children who need chemotherapy, blood products and IV antibiotics, locally rather than having to drive to UNC or Duke. The best part of his job? “Helping the community work towards better health care for children,” he said in the release.

Mensch works alongside teachers and parents to get needed mental health services for children as an early childhood mental health consultant for New Hanover County’s Head Start Program. When the needs of students with mental health necessities at Head Start continued to grow and Mensch was asked to increase her hours, she revised her private practice schedule to meet the extreme demand, officials said.

"The social and emotional development of children is the most important part of creating healthy, well-adjusted adults," Mensch said in the release.

Sturdivant, principal of Mary Washington Howe Pre-k Center, has made a tremendous impact in just 9 months, officials said. Continual support and professional learning for her staff are integral parts of Sturdivant’s strategy for ensuring the implementation of best practices in the early learning setting. She opens her school in the early morning and ends her day when the after-school program closes so that she gets to connect with as many parents as possible, officials said in the release.

"Ms. Sturdivant is a leader of change and a supporter of what is best for children," her nominator said in the release.

Smart Start of New Hanover County raised more than $83,000 in sponsorships, gifts and pledges for its work to increase the capacity of the adults who work with young children in their first 2000 days of life – from parents to pediatricians and social workers to early educators. Smart Start of New Hanover County is part of Smart Start, North Carolina’s Early Childhood Initiative.

At the event, Chip Mahan, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Live Oak Bank, provided the keynote address, which highlighted the benefits Live Oak Bank provides its employees, especially benefits that are family-centered and recognize that employees are parents too, officials said.