Denise Wright received the 11th annual Beverly Gail Barnes-Kelch Award for Exemplary Citizenship. James Kelch, a member of the ECS Board of Trustees, established the annual award for ECS employees in memory of his wife.
Wright has worked as a Foster/Kinship Care Social Worker with the Children and Family Services department for over a decade. During that time, she has specialized in helping older youth prepare for adulthood. Teens aging out of the foster care system experience high rates of homelessness and other negative outcomes. Wright goes the extra mile with her teen clients, including helping several attend college.
"I feel Denise goes above and beyond her call of duty for her clients," said one ECS employee in nominating Wright for the award. "She will transport them to college, go to all their school activities and make sure the families are able to function once they leave ECS. She is a team player throughout the agency."
In addition to her work with ECS families, Denise has made the commitment to supervise masters' level students interning at ECS. She also serves as part of the interdisciplinary team at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Child Protection and Health, which is designed to address the medical and psychological and social needs of children at risk.
