Children. Our Future. Our Responsibility.
2012 Smart Start Pledge Breakfast
11th Annual Celebration for Children's Champions
March 28, 2012 . Burney Center, UNCW
The mission of Smart Start of New Hanover County is to encourage and provide services that enhance the lives of young children and their families. The Smart Start Pledge Breakfast , is a celebration of young children, recognition of their advocates, and an opportunity to financially contribute to the critical services that Smart Start makes available in our community. Today’s young children are the leaders, parents, and workers of tomorrow. The work that we do now to provide young children with the tools they need to be successful in life will pay off in dividends long into the future through law-abiding, productive and creative citizens who will contribute to our community. There are more than 11,000 children from birth to age five in New Hanover
County, and the needs a
re greater now than ever before.
There are great benefits to being a 2012 sponsor for the Breakfast for Children's Champions; become a sponsor today!
At our annual Breakfast we will honor Children's Champions, see a list of our 2011 Children’s Champions .
2012 Featured Storyteller: Donald Davis
Donald Davis grew up near Waynesville, North Carolina. After earning a B.A. in English at Davidson College, he graduated from Duke University Divinity School. For over 20 years, he was a minister in the United Methodist Church. In 1989, he became a full-time storyteller. He now tours the country, making approximately 300 storytelling presentations annually.
Receiving numerous awards for his storytelling and writing, he has been a featured storyteller at the Smithsonian Institution and the World's Fair and a guest host for National Public Radio's Good Evening show. He was selected for the "Circle of Excellence" by the National Storytelling Association and served as the chairman of the board of the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling for six years.
Please see details below from the 2011 Breakfast for Children's Champions.
Speaker, Gar Ryness-the Batting Stance Guy imitating Boston Red Sox baseball player, Kevin Youkilis.
Gar Ryness and WECT's Jon Evans who was the emcee of the event.