Kelly Harbitter Honored with 2018 Cleary Award
On November 3, 2018, SCAN hosted its 16th Annual Toast to Hope gala at Springfield Golf and Country Club. The annual fundraiser raised critical funds for SCAN’s growing child abuse prevention programs and was especially poignant this year as the organization celebrated three decades of work protecting children and supporting families across Northern Virginia.
“This is an exciting moment in SCAN’s history,” notes SCAN’s Executive Director Leah Fraley, who joined the organization over the summer. “We’re celebrating three decades of positive impact on the children and families of Northern Virginia, but we also have the opportunity to strategically plan for our future and how we will work to do even more for a new and changing generation of families in our community.”
The event was sponsored in part by Wells Fargo, Custom Ink and McEnearney Associates. Lead individual sponsors included Robert Yager, Dave Cleary, Joe and Sara Carlin, and Peter and Donna Cuviello.
In addition to a 30th anniversary toast given by SCAN Board alumni Jeff Bliss in honor of SCAN’s founder Dave Cleary, guests also enjoyed the surprise presentation of the 2018 Cleary Award to SCAN volunteer, donor and longtime supporter Kelly Harbitter.
Kelly Harbitter first connected with SCAN as a volunteer advocate with SCAN’s Alexandria/Arlington CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program in 2012. Drawn to SCAN’s mission because of her own desire to promote the well-being of children, she completed the 32-hour intensive training to become a CASA volunteer advocate and was sworn in on May 22, 2012. Since being appointed to her first case in the Alexandria Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court six years ago, Kelly has served 14 children in 6 different families, giving almost 900 hours of her time to advocate for these children and make reports and recommendations to those involved. Her most recent (and longest) case lasted two and a half years, and Kelly’s tireless advocacy helped to provide stability in the lives of the children and ultimately reunify their family.
In addition to her service through CASA, Kelly has been active with SCAN’s Speaker’s Bureau, helping to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and the vital role that a caring adult can play in the lives of vulnerable children. Kelly and her husband, Alan, are also generous donors of both time and financial support to SCAN’s mission.
