"One can see and hear the difference made by a repaired cleft palate but one cannot see a broken heart. I am compelled now more than ever to convey this message and the message that love, consistently applied, heals."

As a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice, Rose W. Washington developed the department's "strength-based approach" which forever changed the way children and families are treated within the system. Washington implemented the first after-care program for children returning from out-of-home placements in the juvenile justice system, ensuring the gains they made were maintained once they returned home. Given sole credit for the "Spofford Miracle," she transformed a large detention center into a model program for the caring of young people. In the years since she was an Honoree, she has continued as executive director for Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth where at-risk children are encouraged and educated one at a time. Special programs to help children and families overcome the tragic affects of poverty, abuse and neglect have quadrupled due to collaboration with larger service systems. Vocational education, after-school programs, and Foster Family Advisory Groups are just a few special projects developed to benefit children, their families and their communities. In conjunction with a private family foundation, Berkshire plans to make the lessons learned available to other organizations that work with children of the world. While she was an Honoree for the World of Children, Washington believes that being in the company of distinguished, passionate and committed pioneers was a humbling, motivating and exhilarating experience. For more information, please visit www.berkshirefarm.org.

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