(Berkeley, CA) August 23, 2006—
Gina Moreland, Founder and Executive Director of Habitot Children's Museum has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award given to individuals making a difference in their communities.

Gina Moreland was cited for her fourteen years of service in establishing Habitot as the East Bay's Hands-on Discovery Museum, which annually reaches over 90,000 Bay Area visitors to its downtown Berkeley location. The Museum's exhibits and programs provide early childhood experiences that have an enduring effect on a child's future learning ability in school and throughout life. Museum experiences also help parents and caregivers become informed about their child's development and actively engaged in their child's learning.

Board President, Jim Cleary, recognized "Gina has never lost focus on the importance of providing early childhood education services to under-served populations in the Bay Area and has fought for funding, literally on a daily basis, to serve these populations. Her commitment to the Habitot dream and reality is truly remarkable.”

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The local winners are "Unsung Heroes"– ordinary individuals who are performing extraordinary deeds – mostly without recognition.

Habitot Children's Museum is a non-profit organization that relies on community support from individuals, businesses, foundations and government. Habitot has reciprocal relationships with other children's museums nationally through the Association of Children's Museums.