(PRESS RELEASE) AKRON, OH – At a ceremony, David Bouffard, vice president, corporate affairs, Signet Jewelers was named the 2018 William P. Kannel Child Advocate of the Year by the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Volunteer Board of Trustees. This prestigious award is given to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary commitment to improving the lives of abused and neglected children in Summit County.
Summit County CASA’s mission is to provide every child who enters the court system as a result of allegations of abuse, neglect or dependency with a trained community volunteer to advocate for what is the best interest of the child.
“David has been a steady, reliable leader throughout his more than 20 years of service to the CASA program,” said Beth Cardina, executive director of CASA Summit County. “We are honored to present David with the William P. Kannel Child Advocate of the Year Award for his dedicated service to abused and neglected children in Summit County.”
“CASA plays a critical role as an advocate for Summit County’s children in our courtrooms and communities,” explained Bouffard. “I am humbled to receive this award from an organization carrying out such a noble and important mission.”
The award is dedicated to the memory of the Honorable William P. Kannel, founder of the Summit County CASA Program. Judge Kannel’s administration of the Juvenile Court was recognized for its progressive approach and innovative programming and it soon became a model for other Juvenile Courts across the State of Ohio.
During her remarks, Signet Jewelers CEO Gina Drosos reiterated the company’s commitment to Akron and congratulated Bouffard, “I am proud of Signet’s decades-long commitment of giving back to this wonderful organization. Congratulations to David for receiving the William P. Kannel Child Advocate of the Year award and for his tireless devotion to serving the children in our community.”
A decades-long proponent of responsibility in the jewelry sector, Bouffard is actively involved in multiple local and industry organizations. He has been involved with the Summit County CASA/Guardian Ad Litem Board for more than 20 years and served as Chair from 2015 – 2016. He also serves as the corporate liaison to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Signet’s national corporate charity partner since 1999; SickKids, the Company’s Canadian corporate charity partner since 2016; and Akron Children’s Hospital, the Signet’s Greater Akron corporate charity partner since 1988.
Bouffard serves on the Jewelers of America (JA) board, where he is an active member on its ethical initiatives committee; and was chair of JA’s jewelry information center from 2008 – 2009. He has been active in the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) since 2005, serving on the Executive Committee as Co-Chair of the Standards Committee from 2012 – 2014 and Chair of its Communications Committee since 2015. In May of 2018, he was elected RJC Chair.
To learn more about the Summit County CASA program, visit http://summitcasagal.org/