Dream Awards
We are excited to present the Dream Awards to recognize community leader Mai Nguyen and Seattle Children's for their instrumental roles in our efforts to educate and empower children and families in our community. The Dream Awards were established for the purpose of recognizing the outstanding work of individuals and organizations whose strong commitment to Denise Louie Education Center through financial contribution and leadership roles has resulted in increased access to early education for our children and families, and increased internal resources that allow DLEC to serve or expand its programmatic and fundraising goals.
Mai Nguyen has been named recipient of the 2016 Individual Dream Award to commend her tremendous dedication to early education for children and families in the Seattle area. Mai has given more than ten years of continuous support and devoted service on the DLEC Board of Directors from 2002-2009. Through her leadership as President, DLEC landed a contract with Making Connections, an Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative aimed to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and their families. She spearheaded DLEC’s Beacon Hill capital campaign, recruited many new board members and supporters from her vast network of philanthropic friends and colleagues, and continually looked for ways to increase visibility and funding for vital early learning services.
Even after she stepped off the Board, she continued to support DLEC by putting together at least one full table for every auction. Her annual donations of the highly coveted Hot Pot Party have always helped increase auction revenue. Mai deeply invested in the agency’s quality multicultural preschool education and enrolled two of her children into the program. A role model for parent engagement, she accompanied the class on field trips, demonstrated cooking activities, and brought in freshly baked goods for the teachers. She also volunteered her husband Lester for classroom gardening projects and created another in-demand auction item, “Five Guys and a Hoe.” She was well-known and loved at the International District site for her enthusiasm and spirit. DLEC owes much to her passion and commitment to all of the children and families.
“Mai is a dynamo!” says Janice Deguchi, former DLEC Executive Director. “It’s amazing how many hats she’s wearing, while giving 100 percent to all things she’s working on.” Mai’s devotion to community service began in her early years. As a child, she was always interested in attending meetings or carrying signs with her parents at Vietnamese community events. While studying at the University of Washington, she organized the student movement with the Asian Pacific Student Union. Her lengthy resume includes work at the International District Housing Alliance, Seattle Housing Authority, and Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Seattle University Athletics Department.
Seattle Children's has been named the recipient of the 2016 Community Dream Award to honor its outstanding contribution to the health of children and families in the Seattle area. A non-profit organization consisting of Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle Children's Research Institute and Seattle Children's Foundation, Seattle Children's covers the largest region of any children's hospital in the United States. Children's provides inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitative, surgical, emergency, behavioral health, and outreach services in about 60 pediatric subspecialties, and serves over 323,000 pediatric patients per year in the Washington-Alaska-Montana-Idaho (WAMI) region. Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's mission focuses on the unique needs of all children and the belief that that they should grow up without illness or injury. Through support of the community and its spirit of inquiry, Children's seeks to prevent, treat, and eliminate pediatric disease. Locally, Children's has established a priority initiative to improve health equity and access in South King County.
A long-time community partner of DLEC, Seattle Children's has an outstanding track record of supporting community efforts to improve the health of local residents, especially among low-income and at-risk children in areas which DLEC serves. Joint programs since 2008 include family engagement events which focus on the best decisions when caring for sick children, oral health awareness, water safety, car seat and bike helmet usage, and baby safety trainings. In addition, Children's provides vision and hearing screenings, autism diagnoses, and additional parental trainings. Children's has also been a frequent supporter and sponsor of DLEC's annual dinner and auction.
“All of us at Seattle Children’s are honored to be the recipient of the Dream Award this year. It is only with the support of our partners, such as Denise Louie Education Center, that we are able to improve the health of our community. Together, we are building a safe and healthy future for our children and families,” said Suzanne Petersen Tanneberg, Vice President of External Affairs and Guest Services at Seattle Children’s.
