This October, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation will present The Angel Award® to nine everyday Louisianians, including three in northwest Louisiana, doing extraordinary good for the state’s children.
The honorees were chosen from nearly 200 nominees submitted across Louisiana. Each Angel will receive a $25,000 grant to the nonprofit organization of their choice to deepen the impact of their work. Local honorees are:
- Pamela Allen of Ruston, the executive director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind, a nationally recognized leader and advocate for creating opportunity-rich futures for blind children in Louisiana.
- Yolanda Green of Shreveport, a registered nurse who works in the school-based health center at Linwood Public Charter School, where she is known for her innovative approaches to improving the health and quality of life for students.
- K.C. Kilpatrick of Shreveport, a foster parent and founder of Geaux 4 Kids, Inc., a nonprofit that provides Geaux Bags of necessary items for a child’s first night in foster care, allowing children and families to begin journeys of healing at a moment’s notice.
Each year, the Foundation also honors a “Blue Angel,” an employee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana who has shown extraordinary commitment to children. This year, the Foundation has selected Deirdre Barfield, M.D. of Shreveport – a longtime volunteer at the Martin Luther King Health Center and Pharmacy, where she provides high quality family medicine services for people who cannot afford to pay for healthcare. Dr. Barfield also mentors students from area colleges who aspire to healthcare careers.
Now in its 25th year, The Angel Award® is notable for focusing on people who do hands-on work, says Foundation president Michael Tipton.
“We honor these men and women for leading from the front lines, and building movements of others to join in making lasting, powerful change for our state’s future through its children,” he said.
The stories of each Angel will be told at an invitation-only presentation ceremony to be held Monday, Oct. 14 at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.
