Senator Page Walley and Representative Mark White Awarded for Their Advocacy

During United Ways of Tennessee’s Day on the Hill on March 15, 2023, at the Tennessee State Capitol, Senator Page Walley and Representative Mark White were awarded United Ways of Tennessee’s Legislative Champion Award in recognition for their support and sponsorship of the Handle With Care legislation that passed in 2022.

Handle With Care programs promote school-community partnerships aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to a level of trauma in their home, school, or community receive appropriate interventions to help them achieve academically at their highest levels despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have experienced.

While student records and information are confidential, not all juvenile records are confidential. As a result, Senator Walley and Representative White advocated for the confidentiality of Handle With Care notifications as they are transmitted from the law enforcement agency to local schools. Matt Marshall, President/CEO of United Way of West Tennessee and board member for Tennessee’s Handle With Care, presented both individuals with their awards.

“We are grateful for leaders like Senator Wally and Representative White for their support and advocacy of this legislation and the program as a whole,” Marshall said. “Our continual mission is to safeguard and strengthen the communication among the community so we can better the children we have been entrusted to serve.”

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Senator Walley. “I’m a strong supporter of this program that helps children recovering from traumatic experiences, and am glad we were able to add important privacy protections to the program last year. I thank United Ways for the award and all they do to help children in Tennessee.”

Day on the Hill is organized annually so local United Ways in Tennessee can meet with their elected officials and speak in unison on subjects that matter from education to opioid addiction. This includes robust public policy work at the federal, state, and local levels. 

To learn more about Handle With Care and how it benefits children, families and educators across the state, visit tnhandlewithcare.org.

Handle With Care, a partnership with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement, is a trauma-informed approach that provides heads-up notifications to school administrators of students who experience trauma outside of class.

United Ways of Tennessee is the association of 30 United Ways in Tennessee that collaborate for collective action. As the state’s leading community solutions provider, United Way is the driving force behind many initiatives that provide solutions to the community’s most critical needs.

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