Last week during our four-counties tour of our region, Pope County Early Childhood Initiative Coordinator Jeannie Pederson hopped on the bus as our early childhood tour guide in Starbuck and Glenwood.

Jeannie has worked with WCI for a long time, first as part of WCI's Family Initiative, and now as a member of our super ECI coordinators team. We think the world of her--and we're not the only ones.

This spring, Jeannie was awarded the Outstanding Staff Achievement Award at the Minnesota Social Services Association's annual conference. It's a high honor because one is recognized by one's peers for excellent service and rapport with clients, for being a community builder that promotes the field of human services, and for being a great and valued team member.

"Over the years, I’ve been blessed to partner with colleagues who believe that the health and well-being of our children and families are essential for a healthy community," says Jeannie. "Many thanks as we look forward to what we can do together in the days to come!"

Many thanks to you, too, Jeannie. We're so glad you are a partner with us, creating a better tomorrow for our region.