The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation today announced it has presented the 2018 Nick Littlefield Award for Excellence in Community Health to the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) of Bristol County, a program of JRI that serves children who have been victims of abuse or witness to violence.
“The CAC of Bristol County truly embodies the spirit of this award. The Foundation established the award to support critical work with children delivered with the compassion and leadership that Nick Littlefield demonstrated throughout his distinguished career,” said Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
The CAC of Bristol County will receive a one-time, two-year gift of $50,000 per year in recognition of the private, nonprofit agency’s extraordinary contributions to children’s health.
“We are so grateful for this generous opportunity to better address our passion for children’s health and wellness,” said Michelle Loranger, executive director of the CAC of Bristol County. “The CAC knows all too well the impact of childhood trauma and shares in the wisdom of Nick Littlefield’s work toward promoting resiliency in all youth.”
The award honors Littlefield’s lifelong dedication to public health policy. Littlefield was a top adviser to the late Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy and a partner in the law firm Foley Hoag, LLP. He had a long career in public and private service, including serving on the Foundation’s Board of Directors from 2001 to 2014.
“We have no greater responsibility as a government and a community than protecting and supporting any child who has been abused. Every single day, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County fights for those children and their bright futures, and I cannot imagine an organization more deserving of this award,” said U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III.
Founded in 2007 and based in Fall River, the CAC of Bristol County has served more than 5,000 boys and girls in the 20 towns and cities within the county. The agency provides a coordinated response to disclosures and allegations of child sexual abuse, severe physical abuse and witness to violence.
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About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to expand access to health care for low-income and vulnerable individuals and families in the Commonwealth. The Foundation was founded in 2001 with an initial endowment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It operates separately from the company and is governed by its own Board of Directors.
