PRESS RELEASE

May 12, 2008

 

Teresa Kellerman to receive NOFAS excellence award in Washington, D.C.

 

The National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) will present Kellerman with the award on May 14^th at the annual NOFAS Leadership Awards Benefit.  The event is hosted by Tom and Linda Daschle and Senator Lisa Murkowski and is underwritten by the Schering-Plough Corporation.

 

Other benefit honorees include Senators Tim Johnson, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Max Baucus, and Dr. Ken Warren, Associate Director for Basic Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health.

 

Kellerman, director of the FAS Community Resource Center in Tucson, was selected for the award because of her outstanding accomplishments in raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol use during pregnancy and the plight of affected individuals and their families. 

 

For 20 years Kellerman has traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada giving presentations on FASD.  During the past two years Kellerman has been training Arizona State employees through a special project for the Division of Developmental Disabilities.  Kellerman has developed screening tools to help identify invisible forms of FASD which often go undiagnosed.  “Only about 10% of individuals with FASD have symptoms that are easily recognized.  Most have a normal IQ and normal appearance, but have sustained enough brain damage from the alcohol exposure to seriously interfere with the person’s ability to function in life,” explains Kellerman.  “These individuals are at high risk of having trouble in school, getting arrested, having behavioral health issues, substance abuse, and other difficulties as they strive to live life without the supports they need to stay healthy and safe.

 

Kellerman is the adoptive parent of a young man with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).  Her son’s success prompted Kellerman to share with other parents what she has learned to be helpful.

 

Together with Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox of Toronto, Kellerman mobilizes events all around the world for FASD Awareness Day on September 9^th each year via the www.FASDay.com web site.

 

Kellerman hosts one of the most comprehensive web sites on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).  Visit www.fasstar.com to access articles, photos, stories, research reports, conference notes, news stories, handouts and brochures on FASD. 

 

For more information on FASD resources in Arizona, visit the FAS Community Resource Center at www.fasarizona.com