EdVenture To Honor Columbia Woman, Dr. Suzan Boyd, with SC Great Friend to Kids Award
January 7, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – January 7, 2009 – EdVenture will honor Dr. Suzan Boyd as the 2009 recipient of the S.C. Great Friend to Kids Award at a dinner Thursday, January 15, 2009 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
This year’s event, presented by First Citizens Bank, will address a critical community issue – the health of our youth. Boyd is being honored for her lifelong service and tireless dedication to the health and welfare of children in our state. Boyd has been involved in health care for more than 25 years with experience in management, primary care activities, and strategic planning. The Unsung Hero Award will be presented to the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
The event will begin with a private reception for the honorees and major sponsors at EdVenture, beginning at 5:45 p.m. Following this reception, a seated dinner will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, beginning at 7 p.m.
Corporate tables and individual tickets are still available. For details, contact Margaret Wallace, Director of Development at EdVenture (803-400-1152) or [email protected].
Dr. Suzan Boyd is a public health leader and advocate who has worked on behalf of young women and youth throughout her professional career. Dr. Boyd completed her BS at Boston College, an MS at Yale University, an MBA from Simmons College, and a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of South Carolina. Her professional activities have included serving as the Vice President of Ambulatory and Ancillary Services at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago; an Associate Director at Brookside Park Family Life Center in Jamaica Plain, Mass., and a professor and Director of the MHA Program at the Arnold School of Public Health.
Dr. Boyd joined the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in 2002. Under her leadership the Campaign grew from an organization with 3 to 15 employees and an annual budget of $400,000 to over $1.5 million plus. Most importantly the Campaign expanded their work to every county in South Carolina and their annual Summer Educational Institute grew from 39 to over 500 youth serving educators. The Campaign was one of five programs in the US selected by the CDC to receive a grant to implement science based programs to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy in South Carolina.
Previous SC Great Friend to Kids honorees include Charles P. Darby, MD and C. Warren Derrick, MD in 2007 and the Honorable James B. Edwards and the Honorable Richard W. Riley in 2006.
In 2006, EdVenture embarked on a mission to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of South Carolinians who have been in the forefront of addressing the needs of children in our state through the creation of the South Carolina Great Friend to Kids Award.
Funds raised through the South Carolina Great Friend to Kids Initiative will be used to directly impact children in communities across South Carolina through EdVenture’s efforts to achieve our vision of “creating new generations of lifelong learners.”
EdVenture seeks to use the strength of its educational mission and the power of hands-on learning to raise the level of educational experiences for all children, with a particular focus on children living in less-advantaged environments and smaller communities across the state. In addition to serving visitors from all 46 counties, EdVenture continues to work actively providing outreach and educational programs in eleven counties where there is a high percentage of children living in poverty.
EdVenture Children’s Museum
EdVenture Children’s Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring children to experience the joy of learning. Celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2008, the museum features more than 67,000 square feet of hands-on, minds-on learning for children and adults. EdVenture is one of the largest children’s museums in the nation and home of Eddie, the world’s largest child. EdVenture is located at 211 Gervais Street in downtown Columbia. To learn more about EdVenture, visit www.edventure.org.
