Hunter Elementary teacher receives ‘Advocate of the Year’ award
Published 3:53 pm Tuesday, March 1, 2022
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Star Photo/Nic Miller Hunter Elementary Teacher Wendy Lowe (right) addresses the crowd after receiving her award while standing beside her son Austin (left), who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a young child.
Star Photo/Nic Miller Wendy Lowe (middle) stands next to her son Austin (left) and the Tennessee Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Executive Director Leigh Ellington (right) after receiving her "Advocate of the Year" award on Monday.
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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
Cheers and applause filled the Hunter Elementary School gymnasium on Monday as teacher Wendy Lowe was presented the “Advocate of the Year” award for the State of Tennessee’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Tennessee’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Executive Director Leigh Ellington and Senior Development Director Jolly Johnson spoke on the importance of raising awareness for the disease before inviting Lowe to the floor for her hard work in advocating about the disease.
“Advocacy is raising awareness for and supporting something. Your parents and your teachers are all advocates for you,” Ellington said.
Lowe and her son Austin, who was diagnosed with the disease at six months old and is doing well, both accepted the award. The teacher has been an integral part in raising awareness about the Pasteur Act as well as fighting for antibiotics to combat Cystic Fibrosis.
While Lowe has been around the disease since early in her son’s life, the advocate and teacher said that she became involved with the foundation around 10 years ago after seeing many students battling the disease.
The school’s support grew even larger when one student passed away from the disease, after which the school organized an annual walk-a-thon in remembrance and support.
“It has been a couple years since they have held the walk-a-thon because of COVID-19, but Hunter Elementary is a special place for us because of their long standing tradition of support for us,” Ellington said.
