Press Release

Evergreen Award of Marquette County Honors Youth Advocate Judy Watson Olson

April 14, 2008

MARQUETTE COUNTY – Recognized for her work on behalf of others, primarily youth and families, Judy Watson Olson was honored as recipient of the 2008 Evergreen Award of Marquette County.

The award was announced Lake Superior Community Partnership Annual Dinner on Friday, April 11.

Watson Olson was recognized for accomplishments in her career promoting positive youth development throughout the U.P. She is the president of Great Lakes Center for Youth Development, an organization that works to promote a healthy youth environment by strengthening area nonprofits.

“This award is really for our entire community and it’s commitment to youth, especially over the last 20 years,” said Watson Olson when she received the award. “I’ve watched the recipients of the ATHENA Award and now the Evergreen Award over the years and have been so impressed with this group of people. Now to be counted among them is quite an honor,” she added.

“Judy has encouraged people and organizations to work together – people who may not have otherwise come together,” said Karen Thompson, director of operations at GLCYD. Thompson nominated Watson Olson for the Evergreen Award.

“By building collaborations of support, girls will have a greater opportunity to grow into successful, caring young women,” Thompson added. “Strong women contribute to healthier families and communities.”

The Evergreen Award is the regional version of what used to be recognized as the ATHENA Award, and is organized by the Zonta Club of Marquette Area. The award is open to men and women of Marquette County who are inspirational in their roles as mentors of women and girls. The selection committee evaluated the nominees based on how they demonstrated excellence, creativity and initiative in their professions or as volunteers.

Watson Olson began her career at Michigan State University Extension as a District Extension Leader for the Upper Peninsula, County Extension Director of Mackinac County and 4-H Youth Agent for Midland County. “This work was her initiation into the field of youth development and support of young women,” Thompson wrote in her nomination.

In 1987, the Kellogg Foundation made a 20 year commitment to three areas in Michigan. Marquette and Alger counties were the remote location for this idea of building model communities where youth grow into healthy and caring adults. Watson Olson was chosen to lead that effort, which would eventually grow to become GLCYD with more than 20 years invested in making youth issues a community-wide priority.

A regional climate of professional and positive opportunities for women and girls has been strengthened by Watson Olson’s involvement in a variety of programs and projects. She helped the U.P. Children’s Museum and NMU Student Leader Fellowship Program secure grants that helped them start up and build sustainability. In 1997 she began working with the Marquette-Alger RESA and local school superintendents to begin administering the “profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors” survey. The survey captures of snapshot of how young people are feeling about themselves and the communities in which they live. The year 2006 marked the fifth time the survey was administered and a decade of data captured about the state of the region’s youth.

“Through Judy’s leadership ‘positive youth development’ and ‘youth assets’ have become commonly-used phrase used to describe the community’s awareness of what is needed for a healthy youth environment,” Thompson wrote.

The Evergreen Award program also includes a scholarship to a local life-long learner pursuing an educational program. This award is made in the spring. Scholarship applications are available by contacting the Marquette Community Foundation.

Evergreen Award and Scholarship sponsors include are Barton & Associates Ameriprise Financial, Hetrick & Associates Insurance Agency, Interiors by Design, The Landmark Inn, Peninsula Medical, Public Service Garage, Range Bank, Zonta Club of Marquette and the Marquette Monthly. For more information on Evergreen Award and Scholarship program, please visit www.zontamqt.org or contact Pam Stewart at 228-7500 - pcs@hetrickins.com.

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