2005 Honorees:
Dr. Wendy Gladstone

"Advocating for children and their families is how I try to share my good fortune with others who have not been as lucky."

April 12, 2005

Dr. Gladstone was unable to attend the awards ceremony. her remarks were delivered by Dr. Suzanne Boulter.

Members of the Children’s Alliance, fellow award recipients, and everyone else here tonight, all of whom, in myriad ways, work for the betterment of children’s lives:

Thank you for coming this evening to recognize the work being done in New Hampshire on behalf of children everywhere.

I am very unhappy that I could not be here to join in this important occasion. Not being here means that:

I cannot thank the Alliance in person for the enormous honor they have, very much to my surprise, bestowed upon me;

I cannot congratulate Jack Lightfoot, Karen Turner and Silas Archambault by shaking their hands and hearing more about how they advocate for children;

I don’t get to see how cute Makena looks in the video she helped make in my office last week.

Please understand that my absence tonight is a sign of my obligation to a prior commitment, not at all a sign that the work the Children’s Alliance does is unimportant to me. On the contrary: the Alliance provides endless inspiration and encouragement to me and many others who learn from this wonderful organization:

-- What the issues are that impact children,

-- How others around the state are making a difference in children’s lives, and

-- What each of us can do help to improve the lot of these, our most vulnerable citizens.

A pediatrician sees many children in the course of a day. Some of those days pass calmly, with patients as healthy as Makena and families as secure as hers. Others days present myriad obstacles and challenges and leave me wondering how some of my patients will ever thrive.

How will their families survive? And what of the families in need who never set foot in my office? Who helps those who are invisible but ever present? Who is responsible for them?

Days like that remind me of my own blessings. Advocating for children and their families is how I try to share my good fortune with others who have not been as lucky. For whatever reasons, God saw fit to send me into the world with all sorts of advantages; in gratitude, in return, I do what I can for people needing help.

But nobody can make much of a difference all alone. Progress is never solely made by one individual; it’s the consequence of many working together. We all need other people to inspire us, encourage us, provide resources and skills we don’t have, or come up with ideas we couldn’t ever have imagined on our own. The power of dedicated people coming together to work on societal problems, like you here tonight who are members and associates of the Children’s Alliance, holds the promise for our future.

Tonight is a time to celebrate together, and at the evening’s end, go home ready for new challenges and the rewards that come with solving them.

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Award categories

Watch WMUR-TV's "The Help You Need" promotional ad about the Children's Alliance Awards.

Watch our promotional ad on WMUR-TV, featuring former Governor Walter Peterson