2012 Public Health Champion of the Year - Carol Sue Frickel

Jefferson County, Colorado--Public Health is what we as a society do collectively to prevent illness and premature death and promote health in our communities. Each year, during National Public Health Week, April 1-7, 2013, Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) honors some of the many people it works with throughout the year that help to make our county healthy. While they may not have made public health their profession, the work they do, the partnerships they provide and their enthusiasm for protecting the health of Jefferson County residents makes them the 2012 Public Health Champions of the Year.

• Reducing and Preventing Childhood Poverty and Hunger, Carole Sue Frickel 

Carole Sue Frickel is a longtime advocate for children at risk for poverty and food insecurity in the community. Her unique experience as a former Jeffco Public Schools speech and language specialist, as well as her unending energy, compassion and vision, uniquely position her as a leader to connect people and efforts to reduce and prevent childhood poverty and hunger in Jeffco. Carole Sue has been a contributing member to the Wheat Ridge “Feed the Future Backpack Program” for many years. She assists in coordinating volunteers to pack and distribute food at Kullerstrand Elementary school for the Feed the Future Program. This program provides food items to kids and families most in need in the Kullerstrand community.

Carole Sue is also intent on ensuring kids have access to food over the summer months when they are not in school. During the spring and summer months, she works to support a cohesive and comprehensive Summer Feeding Program in Wheat Ridge by working with Wheat Ridge City staff, Hunger Free Colorado, Jeffco Public Schools, LiveWell Wheat Ridge and other community based organizations. An excellent example is her partnership with Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church to support a community based summer feeding program assuring the families surrounding the church have access to food. By partnering with Dan Odell, pastor of the church, they partnered with Food Bank of the Rockies and Hunger Free Colorado to implement a feeding program that provided not just food but enrichment activities to all who accessed the program.

Carole Sue Frickel is a 2012 Public Health Champion of the Year for her energy, compassion and tireless commitment to children. Congratulations and thank you Carole Sue Frickel.