Contributed by the Office of Delegate Richard Anderson
Photo courtesy of the Office of Delegate Richard Anderson
~Group recognizes state legislator with its “2013 Collaborations Leadership Award” at 2013 state conference~
RICHMOND – Earlier this week, Virginia’s disability community recognized Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-51st) as their top legislator for his support to disabled citizens of the Commonwealth over the last year. The “2013 Collaborations Leadership Award” was presented to Anderson in front of hundreds of attendees at the 2013 Collaborations Conference in Virginia Beach.
According to officials of Virginia’s three major organizations that provide for Virginians with disabilities, the award is presented annually to recognize “an individual whose outstanding efforts on behalf of people with disabilities merits special attention. Collaborative efforts on behalf of this individual must have resulted in improved and expanded services for citizens with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Officials went on to explain that the award pays tribute “to a single individual whose efforts have resulted in improved outcomes for the Virginians with disabilities that we serve.”
The award was first presented in 1998 and is given jointly by three disabled citizen organizations, the Virginia Rehabilitation Association, the Virginia Association of Community Rehabilitation Programs, and the Virginia Association of Persons in Supported Employment. Prior recipients of the award have included Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Sen. Chuck Colgan, Sen. Toddy Puller, Majority Leader Kirk Cox, and a number of legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle.
In notifying Anderson of the award, Ms. Karen Tefelski, executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Rehabilitation Programs, stated that “you have been chosen…because of your tireless efforts and staunch support of Virginians with disabilities.”
In accepting the award, Anderson stated to the crowd that “I know that I’m looking in the faces of a selfless group of Virginians who live by the admonition of Mahatma Gandhi that ‘the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ From this point forward, you can count on me to be a committed advocate on behalf of our fellow Virginians with disabilities.”
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