SOUTH PORTLAND — A Lewiston fifth-grader won the annual Caring Classrooms Essay Contest it was announced at The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness annual dinner and auction on May 16.
Louisa Strong, a fifth-grader at Raymond A. Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston won the contest, which encourages students in grades one through six who have taken part in the center’s programs to write submissions focused on how the disabilities awareness programs affected them and their views on respect, empathy and inclusion.
“I want to thank The Cromwell Center for realizing something it’s taken most of humankind to realize — that everyone has a story, and we should hear it,” said Louisa. “Everyone is a person and not just a person – they all have unique thoughts.”
Louisa’s essay was chosen out of dozens that were submitted to The Cromwell Center for this year’s award, said Susan Greenwood, executive director. “Louisa sent us some especially wise thoughts about friendship, empathy, respect and about the value that each person can bring to our community,” Greenwood said. “One of our favorite lines that Louisa wrote is, ‘The person is what matters, and if you focus on that you will find that every person is indeed a miracle.'”
The banquet raised $125,000 to support the mission of promoting safe, respectful and inclusive schools and communities.
The Cromwell Center awarded Maine School Administrative District 35 with its Community Partner Award for its ongoing loyalty and support of the center’s school-based programming. Over the past 5 years, the Eliot-based districted has hosted more than 200 of The Cromwell Center’s disabilities awareness programs in its schools.
The two winners also received letters of congratulations from Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the latter of whom was a previous honoree at The Cromwell Center’s dinner and auction.
The Cromwell Center is on track to set a record this year, in which it will service 16,000-plus students at 894 schools by the time programs are completed in June. Thanks in part to a donation by Unum, The Cromwell Center was able to suspend their wait list for its school-based programs and will be able to service an additional 12 schools before the end of the 2018-19 school year.
PHOTO: Louisa Strong, right, and Susan Greenwood, exeuctive director of The Cromwell Center. Louisa won the center’s essay contest. (Claire Houston photo)
