The Coalition presented the inaugural Dorothy Wilson Mabry Award in Recognition of Outstanding Accomplishments by a Healthy Start Participant or Grass-Roots Community Leader at the January Coalition meeting.

The first recipient of the award is Magnolia Project participant and advocate Isadora Howell. She enrolled in Magnolia case management services in 2010 when she was new to the city and without a home for herself and her five children.

With the support of Magnolia staff and community resources, Isadora was eventually able to get her children enrolled in school, into stable housing and continue her education. She has completed CNA Training and is currently working as a Home Health Aide with dreams of one day operating her own non-profit organization that will focus on the needs of women.

In 2012, Isadora was chosen to represent and attend the National Healthy Start Association Annual Spring Conference, where she participated in advocacy activities, representing Healthy Start and sharing her story with elected officials and their staff.

The award honors the legacy of Dorothy Wilson Mabry, a community volunteer and advocate, who devoted her life to supporting the empowerment and achievement of young women and vulnerable families. The Wilson Family provided a generous donation in honor of their mother which supports a stipend for the award recipient.