Charter School Volunteers Honored for Their Dedication and Leadership

Building Hope, a non-profit foundation dedicated to creating high-quality K-12 charter school opportunities for students through its expertise in real estate, finance and operational services, today announced three winners for its second annual Shellie-Ann Braswell Shine Brighter Award. The award – created and named in honor of dedicated volunteer leader Shellie-Ann Braswell who led with love and made everything around her shine brighter – recognizes charter school volunteers who give from the heart and demonstrate tireless dedication to creating positive outcomes for students and communities.

"I want to share my heartfelt congratulations with the three inspiring winners of the Shellie-Ann Braswell Shine Brighter Award," said Allie L. Braswell, Jr., the Senior Vice President of Culture and Belonging for VyStar Credit Union and husband of Shellie-Ann Braswell, for whom the special award is named. "In the second year of the award program, our winners continue to be passionate individuals with big hearts who go the extra mile each day. They remind me of the type of person Shellie-Ann was and her gift for leading with love to make a difference in the lives of students."

Each of the three winners were nominated by the public charter schools they support. At Building Hope's 2023 IMPACT Summit and Awards they will each receive a $5,000 grant designed to advance the volunteers' efforts to create sustainable change and bright futures.

The 2023 Shellie-Ann Braswell Shine Brighter Award winners are:

• Cara Nowak, volunteer at Desert Sky Montessori in Scottsdale, AZ
  For Cara, volunteering is jumping in as the school's "first responder" to make sure teachers, staff, and students all feel supported. Even if she does not have the skill needed for a project, she is determined to learn and do. She has volunteered at Desert Sky since the school opened five years ago. When the school couldn't afford janitorial services its first year, she cleaned bathrooms. In 2021, she got a store to donate wood, then sanded, glued, and assembled 90 wooden desks during the pandemic.

  Upon receiving the award, Nowak said, "I am so honored. There is so much good we can do at Desert Sky Montessori with $5,000. Thank you, Building Hope."

"Volunteers are an important part of creating strong charter school communities," said Building Hope's Chief IMPACT Officer and Chair of the IMPACT Selection Committee Sherilyn Moore. "Each of our winners embodies the loving spirit of our colleague and friend Shellie-Ann Braswell who made her charter school community shine brighter."

The second annual IMPACT Summit takes place May 3 and May 4, 2023, at Miami Dade College in Miami and is open to charter school leaders across the U.S. To buy tickets or for additional information about the IMPACT Summit and Awards visit www.buildinghope.org/impact/awards.

Building hope is grateful for the sponsors of the 2023 IMPACT Summit:

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

About Building Hope

Building Hope is a national non-profit that empowers advancements in education through our work with charter schools providing unparalleled facility financing, real estate development, and operational services. We believe a facility should never be the barrier preventing a child from attending a great school. During our 20-year history, Building Hope has invested more than $482 million in high-impact charter schools serving nearly 200,000 children.

For more information, visit www.buildinghope.org.

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