Bad Links?
Other glitches?
Notify Webmaster

Harris receives Advocacy Award

Maj. Nick Harris, parent mentor for Fayette County Schools Exceptional Children’s Services, has received the 2005 Professional Advocacy Award from the Tommy Nobis Center.

The award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional advocacy toward the needs and rights of individuals with disabilities. Two advocacy awards are given each year.

Harris, who has served in the Army for over 22 years, lives in Peachtree City and is the father of three children, one of whom has Down Syndrome. As a parent mentor in Georgia’s pilot Parent Mentor Project, Harris helps the school district and families of exceptional children by providing training, support and information services. Harris’ mission is to help foster a positive, working relationship between parents and teachers in order to build an effective home/school collaboration in which students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

In addition to working with the school system as a parent mentor, Harris is the organizer and founder of the Fayette Field of Hope, a non-profit organization that built a $850,000 baseball complex in Peachtree City for children with developmental and physical disabilities. The field opened Oct. 1 and serves 12 metro Atlanta counties.

Harris also serves on the State Advisory Panel for Special Education and is highly sought after to make presentations across the state on special education and family issues.

He was presented with the advocacy award during the annual Galaxy of Stars Luncheon hosted by the Tommy Nobis Center in May at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta. Harris is among more than 300 individuals and organizations that have been honored at this event since its conception in 1998.