‘Success by 6’ Presents First Blue Ribbon to RMH
Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Contact: Debra Thompson
Assoc. Director, PR & Communications
540-564-5886

Success By 6, a group that aims to prepare children to start school safe, healthy and prepared to succeed, honored RMH April 2 in a blue ribbon ceremony marking the start of a month-long community campaign for child abuse prevention awareness.

Betsy Hay, executive director of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham United Way and co-chair of Success By 6, presented the first blue ribbon to RMH President Jim Krauss in honor of the hospital’s support for the group.

“As a strong supporter and partner of the Success By 6 Coalition, RMH was honored with the first blue bow,” said Denise Shifflett, coordinator for Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge, an RMH-supported program and a member of the Success By 6 Coalition.

The presentation of the blue ribbon to RMH marked the beginning of the group’s Wrapping Up The Town campaign, during which other local businesses will have the opportunity to show their support for the program, which that provides children with services that will help them get ready to enter school.

“The Success By 6 Coalition desires to expand and enhance the community’s awareness on the importance of early childhood readiness by establishing effective partnerships among stakeholders that demonstrate a commitment to young children,” Shifflett said. “Throughout the month of April, community businesses that sponsor this cause will display blue bows on their doors to signify their support and awareness of the importance of early childhood school readiness.”

Monies raised will go exclusively toward creating a Success by 6 “academy,” a voluntary, community-wide network to ensure children are entering school safe, healthy and prepared to succeed, she said.

“The academy will build an infrastructure so that children, from birth to age 6, will have access and knowledge of all available services within that range,” Shifflett said.

The campaign will wrap up at a family fun celebration on April 21, including recognition of the businesses that have supported Success by 6 and made a commitment to children and their success in school.

Success By 6, formed in 2002, is a coalition of more than 200 community and business leaders in Harrisonburg Page and Rockingham counties and is dedicated to identifying, understanding and addressing the needs of the community’s youngest children.



###