Monday, October 08, 2007
“Inspiring” Ramsden honored by cMoe
|
Ginger Ramsden, manager of Family, School, and Children’s Programs, is the recipient of the first annual Karen D. Magan Inspiring Life Award, presented by the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe) in honor of Karen Donovan Magan. Along with the Junior League of Evansville, Magan championed the effort to create Hands on Discovery Children’s Museum, which led to the establishment of cMoe. The award will be presented annually to an individual with an extraordinary commitment to children and families through community service. Ramsden’s life exemplifies that commitment. December Warren, executive director of cMoe, said, “Ginger’s passion for children and families is exceptional. Her life has impacted many and cMoe is honored to celebrate her commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.” Before joining USI, Ramsden taught kindergarten at Daniel Wertz Elementary School and owned and operated the Gingerbread House, offering enrichment courses for children and resources for parents. She was one of the founding members of 4C of Southern Indiana, Inc., a referral agency and child-care resource center for parents and children in 11 counties in southwestern Indiana, and currently serves as president of its board of directors. She has served on the Governing Board of the Evansville ARC, Inc., Child Life Center since 1998, and also is on the board of Girls in Bloom, a program that seeks to develop healthy self-esteem and body image in pre-teen and teenage girls; the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Health Sciences Advisory Board; the marketing sub-committee of the Early Childhood Development Coalition (ECDC); and the board of Indiana YouthPRO Association (IYPA), a professional organization for youth care workers. Under her leadership, the USI Children’s Center received a $40,000 Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) grant allowing access to childcare for students who earned too much to be eligible for vouchers, but not enough to be above poverty level. Additionally, a classroom for two-year-old children was added to the center, a lending library was established, and additional staff was hired. As a condition of the grant, the Children’s Center applied for and received National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation in 2000 and has received reaccreditation since. Ramsden has continued and expanded USI’s academic enrichment programs for children, including the Super Summer program for children in grades K-9, and the College Achievement Program (CAP), through which junior and senior high school students earn college credit. The CAP program received accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) in 2006. CAP is one of three accredited programs in the state of Indiana and one of 22 accredited programs in the nation. She teaches both undergraduate education classes and noncredit courses in computers, photo editing, and technology for teachers, and recently offered a series specifically for directors of childcare centers. Ramsden is a member of the Evansville Area Early Childhood Association (EAECA), the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (IAEYC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers (NCCCC), and the Indiana Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers (ICCCC). She was nominated for the award by Jaclyn Dumond, program coordinator for Family, School, and Children’s Programs, and Pam Buschkill, Children’s Center coordinator. Wendy Knipe Bredhold News and Information Services wkbredhold@usi.edu 812/461-5259 |
Copyright © 2013 University of Southern Indiana. All rights reserved.