February is Parent Recognition Month. Strengthening Families Washington, of the Department of Early Learning for Washington State, believes there is no better way to recognize a parent, grandparent, foster or adoptive parent than by acknowledging the numerous and impressive things they do to strengthen their family and those around them in their community.
Seattle's Child is proud to sponsor the Washington Unsung Hero Awards, recognizing our everyday heroes and honoring the important role caregivers play in children's lives. There are 28 nominees for the 28 days of February, and Seattle's Child will highlight each and every one.
Congratulations to the Unsung Hero for February 12:
Mari Valles – Bremerton
I am honored to have the privilege to work with military families and their children and get to know the families in their home environments while coaching nurturing parenting skills and child development. All of these family members deserve special honors for their part in being of service to our country. One mother of three stands out in particular as someone who has strived to overcome many challenges. Her name is Mari Valles. She served as a military spouse who stood by her husband, children, neighbors and community in times of great strife. Her husband, a Navy Veteran, has recently separated from the military after many years of service which included frequent, long and sometimes back-to-back deployments.
Mari Valles worked hard on overcoming many barriers as well as deployments, parenting alone, and being new to the area. She practiced with great tenacity to learn English as a second language as her native language is Japanese. She was also determined to pass her written and driver's test and accomplished this after costly lessons and several tries. She did not give up despite her anxiety. I previously witnessed her many times walking up steep hills pushing a stroller in the pouring rain with her umbrella, and children in tow to reach the Navy Hospital for a child's checkup.
During our initial visits it was found that two of her three children had special needs, the baby (now 3) has complete hearing loss on one side, and the middle child was diagnosed with autism. This presented many challenges in learning additional skills in parenting, dealing with the emotions of diagnosis, and understanding how to communicate and address each child's unique needs. Mari Valles learned how to juggle an enormous amount of appointments, and scheduling, for the children's support and therapy, many of which she did not have transportation for, or babysitters. She pushed through her own exhaustion, and made it happen even if it meant a long walk.
Eventually many services and supports came to fruition, which the family followed through with including much needed respite, therapists that came to the home, counseling, church groups, and newfound friends. Mari volunteered to help other families even when her day was full and she needed rest. She has since come to know that it is important to nurture herself in order to be nourished, balanced and prepared to meet her child's needs. The children have grown in leaps and bounds, and where communication and social skills were difficult in the past they are social, inquisitive and hungry for new knowledge and experiences. It is not an easy path, but this mother has cleared some pretty big boulders out of the way to provide the best route possible for her family. I have been truly grateful for serving this family and seeing the progress, and have learned enormously from the experience.
Nominator: Marilyn Larrabee
