Gwinnett Tech Student Named 2010 Community Hero by DeKalb County
Mary Raterman Honored for Her Work with the Open Door Adoption Agency
Mary Raterman, a Gwinnett Technical College Early Childhood Care and Education student, has earned the DeKalb County 2010 Community Hero Community Service Award for her work with the Open Door Adoption Agency.
Raterman, an Atlanta resident, was nominated for the award by her husband, John Raterman, for her tireless efforts in providing a temporary home for newborn babies awaiting adoption. For the past nine years, Raterman has picked up newborns from the hospital and provided them with food, clothing and shelter for spans that range anywhere from 10 days to six months. She has cared for more than 85 children, and opens her home to out-of-state adoptive parents so they can bond with their baby until the adoption paperwork is finalized.
Raterman is also very active in the Early Childhood Care and Education department at Gwinnett Tech, and is a campus Student Ambassador.
"Mary is always supporting and caring for other people, whether it's the tiny babies she rushes to the hospital to bring into her home because they don't have a family or students in the Early Childhood Care and Education department who are having a hard day or need help understanding a tough assignment, " says Dr. Priscilla Smith, Early Childhood Care and Education program director. "She gives 150 percent to everything she does and is a model for all of us."
Gwinnett Tech offers an associate degree and a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education, plus certificate options that train students for employment as a child development associate, child development specialist or a career in early childhood program administration.
GTC offers more than 45 degree, diploma and certificate program options that you can finish in two years or less. For more information on all programs, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu or call 770-962-7580.
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