Robin Ward, RUSMP's Director of Curriculum Integration, was recently named "Community Honoree" by Helping Hand Home at the 26th Annual Champions for Children held in Austin, Texas. Robin was selected as the honoree because of her unwavering dedication, generosity, and passion for the children at Helping Hand Home.

Established over 100 years ago, Helping Hand Home is a residential childcare agency in Travis County, Texas, that provides healing and support to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment. It offers a comprehensive approach to care, which includes therapeutic residential treatment, an on-site charter school, and foster and adoption programs.

Robin teaches a weekly art class at the Helping Hand Home/University of Texas Charter School, helping children who have faced profound trauma and loss to embrace and appreciate art and art history, while also weaving in math concepts. During class, she not only sparks the children’s curiosity and imagination, but also helps children to believe in themselves by encouraging perseverance, collaboration, and self-expression. With her signature phrase, “Put on your math goggles,” Robin challenges every child to see math not as a barrier, but as a lens of opportunity to understand its beauty and relevance in their world.

Watch this video and enjoy learning how Robin brings math and art to life for the children at Helping Hand Home: https://vimeo.com/1127379666/05c358220b