Yannin Marquez recognized for her work with families at Texas Panhandle Center
HOUSTON – Amarillo resident Yannin Marquez is being recognized here today as statewide Professional Youth Worker of the Year by the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS) at its annual conference. TNOYS, which is dedicated to supporting critical services for Texas youth and their families, presented the award in recognition of Marquez’s work as a case manager providing behavioral and mental health services to families in the town of Herferd.
“Yannin goes above and beyond to help her clients,” said Ashley Wade, a fellow case manager at Texas Panhandle Centers. “She helps them seek out lawyers for their immigration status, helps them connect with family members and is fully devoted to these families.”
Marquez is fluent in Spanish, which makes her of particular help to Spanish-speaking families looking to connect with the community. She gives them guidance on how to obtain food, clothing, legal assistance and other necessities, and has even reached out directly to teachers of Spanish-speaking students to ensure they are able to complete their schoolwork.
“Supporting youth and families in need is rewarding but challenging work,” said Christine Gendron, executive director of TNOYS. “We are so grateful for all of our youth services professionals across the state, and believe that Yannin embodies the best qualities of these individuals who work so hard to help others.”
The award is being presented to Marquez during a reception at TNOYS’ 33rd annual conference at the Westin Galleria, which is attended each year by hundreds of youth services professionals from across the state and the nation. Along with Marquez, TNOYS is also recognizing other individuals and organizations in Texas who have shown leadership and dedication in serving youth, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, the Community Youth Outreach Alliance, Cathy Hamilton of San Antonio’s Threads for Teens, and Mary Green of Harris County Protective Services. All awardees are highly deserving of the honor and embody the conference’s theme of being “Stronger Together.”
About Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS)
For more than 30 years, TNOYS has been the leading organization working to enhance services for Texas youth who are homeless, in foster care, or at risk, and to support the providers who care for them. The organization takes a comprehensive systems change approach to enhancing critical services for youth and families, focusing on policy advocacy, training and program development for providers, and youth engagement. To learn more about the organization, visitwww.tnoys.org.
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