Linda James, the program coordinator for Family Resource Centers of Crestwood Children's Center's Skip Generations program, is the National Association of Social Workers New York Chapter- Genesee Valley Division's (NASW) 2007 Public Citizen of the Year.

James was presented with this honor at the NASW's Social Worker of the Year awards dinner held in late March for her efforts to support kinship providers and their children through advocating for policies, services, and programs promoting social justice.

"I would like to thank the NASW for honoring me as the Public Citizen of the Year. It is a privilege to receive an award for doing work that is your passion. To work in a profession that I live is a reward in itself," says James.

Since 1997, James, a Rochester resident and grandparent, has worked in the Skip Generations program at Family Resource Center of Crestwood Children's Center providing grandparents/kinship caregivers with information, education, and support to strengthen their ability to care for their grandchildren.