Local Teen Honored as Winner at National Spirit of Women’s Spirit In Action Awards
Forrest General’s Spirit of Women is proud to announce that Hannah Roberts, recipient of the hospital’s 2010 Youth Role Model Spirit in Action Award, has been chosen as the Youth Role Model national winner by the Spirit of Women Hospital Network.
Since 1998, the national Spirit of Women Hospital Network has recognized women and men across the United States for outstanding service in their communities with the Spirit in Action awards. These annual awards honor the talent and dedication of people who act to make their communities healthier, safer, and more inspirational places to live. Spirit of Women organizations across the country choose Spirit in Action award winners, who are then placed into the running for Spirit of Women’s coveted national awards. In April 2010, Forrest General Hospital’s Spirit of Women program presented their 2010 Spirit in Action Awards to Betty Bly Hatten, Hannah Roberts, Susan Rutland and Jewel Tucker – four women who were chosen based on the contributions they have made to the issues women face in the areas of work, family and health; and for devotion to their community.
Roberts, who was honored at the 2010 Spirit of Women National Awards Celebration on July 9 in Boca Raton, Fla., is a young woman who recognizes the importance of living beyond herself and sharing her gifts of time, effort and ingenuity with others. Roberts, who participates in Forrest General’s Spirit Girl program and is entering her senior year at Sumrall High School, is the daughter of Danna and James Roberts of Mt. Olive. She was recently selected as the first Distinguished Young Woman of Mississippi, a new title previously referred to as Mississippi’s Junior Miss, following the America’s Junior Miss Program’s name change to the Distinguished Young Woman of America program. She has created a non-profit organization called “Pages of Love” through which she collects new and slightly used books and donates them to hospitals, acknowledging the belief that literature can provide an outlet for a sick child to escape the hospital room into worlds unveiled in books. To date, Roberts has donated more than 10,000 children’s books to hospitals across the Southeast. Her servant’s heart also extends to others in the Pine Belt community, including her hours spent serving others through Forrest General’s Spirit Girl program providing items for gift bags for cancer patients and volunteering time at the Association for Retarded Citizens and Spirit of Women events. Kathy Emmons, coordinator for Forrest General’s Spirit Girl program, said, “Hannah is truly a role model in our community. She is beautiful inside and out, is faithful to her commitments, and has a strong sense of purpose for such a young age.”
Spirit of Women is a national movement led by hospitals across the United States with the mission to move women to take action for better health. With more than 6,300 members, Forrest General is the exclusive Spirit of Women hospital for South Mississippi, recently attaining Premier status in recognition of strong efforts in moving women to take action for their health!
For more information about Spirit of Women, call FGH OnCall at 1-800-844-4445 or visit forrestgeneral.com.
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