RIVERBEND HEAD START & FAMILY SERVICES APPOINTS

DR. LATORRE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD

MADISON COUNTY, IL., June 24, 2010 . . . At its recent Board of Directors meeting, Riverbend Head Start & Family Services (RHSFS) appointed Dr. Martha Latorre, Early Childhood Program Director in the Department of Curriculum Instruction at SIU Edwardsville, as Board Chairperson.  She replaces outgoing chair, Rich Watson of TheBANK of Edwardsville, who has served as Chairman of the Board since2008.

Latorre has been a member of the RHSFS Board of Directors since 2005.  Since that time, she has loaned her extensive experience in early childhood education and child development to the Board of Directors as it works to guide RHSFS in its efforts to provide child development and counseling services to thousands of at-risk children and families throughout Madison County.

Latorre has a vast educational background in early childhood with degrees in educational psychology, school psychology, early childhood education and educational research.

According to Chuck Parr, president of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, “Our organization is blessed with the talents of many caring, capable and well respected individuals that make up our Board of Directors.  With people like Latorre advising management and raising awareness of RHSFS’s community involvement, we are sure to achieve our mission of enabling children and families to find positive solutions to life’s challenges.”

Latorre says, “I am honored to be chosen as the next Chairman of the Board of Directors of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services. Over the years, I have grown more knowledgeable about exactly what this organization does and the community it serves. I have also grown to know the heart of this organization, the people involved, and the dedication given to the families they serve.”

Riverbend Head Start & Family Services began supporting the families and individuals of Madison County in 1916. More than 90 years later, Riverbend Head Start & Family Services offers services through its Family Foundations, Head Start and Transitions Counseling programs that serve more than 4,000 people each year. For the young child Riverbend Head Start & Family Services offer early childhood education, as well as health and nutrition services. For families and individuals they offer mental health counseling, social services, family literacy and various individual strengthening and family support services.

For more information about Riverbend Head Start & Family Services and its program, please visit www.riverbendfamilies.org or call (618) 463-5946.