LISA BASSICK

For the past five years, Lisa has facilitated PCAVT’s Nurturing Parents Program, a free 15-week educational program for at-risk families with young children. During that period, her volunteerism has impacted dozens of families.

Some of the parents in the Nurturing Parents program attend at the direction of the court system while others attend voluntarily to improve their communication and parenting skills. The program’s goal is to prevent – or break – the cycle of abusive behavior in families and to give parents the tools they need to raise strong, healthy, happy children. Publicized in local newspapers, in pediatrician’s offices, and in other places where families get together, the Nurturing Parents Program is held one night a week, often in both the spring and the fall. The weekly sessions include a simple dinner and supervised activities for the children while the parents are in the program.

During the program, Lisa helps parents learn from discussion, activities, presentations, videotapes, and home practice. Some topics of discussion are what children think and feel, what to expect from children at different ages, how to deal with little frustrations before they become big ones, how to recognize and deal with children’s feelings and needs, and how to recognize and attend to their own feelings and needs.

Lisa’s time, talent and passion to help local families by supporting the overall organizational goals of PCAVT as well by providing, developing and advancing child abuse prevention and treatment programs. She informs Vermonters about child abuse prevention and promotes their participation in prevention. She also assists in the development of improved child abuse prevention treatment policies.

She receives volunteer training from Prevent Child Abuse Vermont and is responsible for pre- and post- program planning under the direction of the organization’s staff. In addition, Lisa volunteers her time for PCAVT to campaign Vermont legislators to include adequate state funding for programs to benefit children and families, and she raises funds and awareness through the organization’s annual walk-a-thon.

Ms. Bassick’s employer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, selected her as the company’s first annual Volunteer of the Year recipient, during National Volunteer Week 2005. She is a great example of “Inspiring By Example!”