Contact: Bruce Conley, News Information Director
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903
e-mail: bruce_conley@augie.edu
www.augie.edu

March 17, 2004

Alison Graf Recipient of Student Award and Scholarship

SIOUX FALLS - Augustana College's Alison Graf (Apple Valley, MN) has been selected the outstanding student member of the South Dakota Council for Exceptional Children and recipient of the Lila Hedlund Scholarship.

The award and scholarship will be presented March 21 at the South Dakota Council for Exceptional Children Conference at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Pierre, S.D. Augustana Professors, Joan Bacon and Mark Hallenbeck will accept the awards for Graf, who will be in Pine Ridge, S.D., participating in a service learning project.

Graf is majoring in special education and elementary education. She is a Dean's List student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.91. She has been involved with Augustana's Student Council for Exceptional Children, becoming an officer during her second year of school. In January, 2004, she became the SCEC president.

Her many activities include mentoring students with cognitive disabilities at Hawthorne Elementary School and organizing "Chef for a Day" visits at Sioux Vocational Services' residences. She has participated in the National Down Syndrome Buddy Walk fundraiser and helped organize the SCEC's spring dance for students with disabilities.

In addition to her volunteer activities, Alison is employed at Liberty Center, an after school program for children with disabilities.

Augustana's Education Department invited Graf to serve on the Teacher Education Advisory Board and the Special Education Advisory Board.

Lila Hedlund died September 18, 2000. She was state president of the South Dakota Women in Educational Leadership and the Council for Exceptional Children. She was named outstanding special education director for the state in 1991.