For Immediate Release
April 17, 2008

Contact: Sis Wenger
301-468-0985

Betty Ford National Leadership Award Honors
Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island

Washington, D.C. – The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) announced today that the Betty Ford National Leadership Award will be presented to Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy at its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner this evening at the Pavilion, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

Congressman Kennedy (D-RI) has been a leader in the efforts to provide fair and equitable treatment to persons with addiction and mental illness. He has also worked to insure that services be available to children in families impacted by a wide range of family stressors, including parental addiction or mental illness. He is also working on behalf of children and families of veterans.

The Betty Ford National Leadership Award was created to honor the former First Lady’s leadership and tireless work to reduce the stigma of alcoholism and other drug addiction and to assist the innocent family victims of addiction, especially the children. The recipient of this award must be a national leader whose work has had an impact in one of the following areas:
1. Prevention and treatment of alcoholism and other drug dependence
2. Reducing the stigma of alcoholism and other drug dependence
3. Advocacy and programs to help children who live in families where there is alcoholism and other drug dependence.

In announcing the award, Sis Wenger, NACoA President and CEO, said “Congressman Kennedy has had an impact in all three criteria areas for this award. Even before his recent efforts to help bring equity to persons suffering from addiction and mental illness and their family members, he was championing early childhood interventions and support programs to protect and save children living in families with severe adverse childhood experiences, such as those living with the chronic emotional stress caused by parental addiction.”

The National Association for Children for Alcoholics, located in Rockville, MD, is a national membership and affiliate organization whose mission is “to advocate for all children and families affected by alcoholism and drug dependencies.” It is an Internal Revenue Service Approved 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation founded in 1983.

For additional information, visit www.nacoa.org or phone 1-888-554-2627.

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