Jill Scercy
Spirit of Support Award 2008
Submitted by Miriam Godwin
Jill Scercy should receive the Spirit of
Support Award because she embodies a remarkable spirit of support
for not only people with Autism, but their families as well. She has
never even met many of the people she influences with her support as
she advocates for people with special needs state-wide.
Jill has a personal investment in the “Autism world”- her son,
Britton. She is an amazing mother (just like all the other mothers
of children with Autism), but Jill goes beyond those duties. Jill
has dedicated her professional career to Autism as the Assistant
Director of the Greenville TEACCH Center. She eats, sleeps, and
breaths Autism.
Along with her usual work at the center (which in itself makes her
deserving of this award) Jill facilitates two support groups for
parents of children involved in TEACCH’s social skills groups. She
sits on several advisory and advocacy boards in the region and her
voice is heard far and wide. She is constantly touring schools to
advocate for better services for children with special needs, going
to the state capitol to speak on behalf of people and families
affected by Autism, as well as running an additional support group
for parents of children with high-functioning Autism in her free
time. It is because of Jill’s support there is a program at a local
middle school and high school to serve students with
high-functioning Autism.
Also in addition to her work through TEACCH, Jill lectures at the
local university about Autism and its effects on the family. She has
been the speaker for Grand Rounds at the hospital/medical school and
has been requested to speak to the Family Medicine unit next month.
She will be training staff at a summer camp for people with Autism
this May for the second year in a row. She even trains police
officers in working with people with Autism. Her outreach into the
community does not stop.
Jill is not only an exemplary mother with her constant advocacy,
care, and love, but she is an exemplary Autism professional as well.
Everyone knows it. You simply mention Jill’s name and people listen.
She is so respected in our community. She dedicates everything she
has to supporting people and families coping with Autism, yet she
worries about being a good enough mother.
I can only dream of being 1/10 the mother she is one day! She
doesn’t see herself as the force she is. She thinks she is just an
ordinary mother doing ordinary things. Nothing about who she is or
what she does is ordinary. If only we could all have just a little
bit of the dedication this woman exhibits every single day, what a
wonderful world for people with Autism we would have!
RETURN TO AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT PAGE
Copyright 2008 Coulter Video
