How fun to be looking through old News Paper articles and come across this one from two years ago!
FAIRBANKS — An enthusiastic group of kindergarteners from Denali Elementary School kicked off the annual Champions for Children recognition dinner with lots of excitement and enthusiasm. This traditional opening performance is a reminder of what the evening is really all about — children.
Three Champions for Children were honored for their dedication and commitment to children in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, or as emcee Michael Angaiak described them, “three unbelievable people in our community.”
The evening was hosted by the North Star Imagination Library and serves as a fundraiser to help get books into the hands of local children from birth to age five. This year, more than 37,000 books were delivered to children locally. In the 10 years the program has been in existence here, 415,346 books have been delivered.
“It’s making a difference for them and for their families,” said Emily Vockerath, president of the board.
“It’s really hard to change peoples’ minds, but you can change their hearts,” said the emcee, who introduced each champion. “We can change their hearts by stories. The stories shared with me over the past few days about their lives, their work with kids have certainly changed my life.”
Anne Weaver
Anne Weaver started hanging out at the Fairbanks Food Bank 28 years ago, when she was just 8 years old. Her mother spearheaded the program in those days. Weaver took over in 2015.
“Three hundred thirty-two thousand meals went out of the Fairbanks Food Bank last year,” Angaiak said. “Forty percent of those went to children.”
Weaver told the crowd that she considers her work representative of everyone in the room, at that event.
“All I do is represent the work that you do,” she said, and listed all the good services volunteers offer to children in Fairbanks.
“This night isn’t about me, it really is about you,” she said, pointing out that every volunteer helps her reach children she could never reach on her own. …
Anne Weaver Books 