Dearborn Schools Trustee to Receive Service Award

For Hussein Berry, efforts to improve the community and its schools for Dearborn’s children will not go unnoticed.

Berry–who has served on the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education since 2009–will receive the Lewis Hine Award for Service to Children and Youth. The award is presented by the National Child Labor Committee.

Named after a renowned photographer who documented child exploitation in the early part of the 20th century, the Hine Award recognized individuals who have created programs or advocated for the welfare of children.

Berry, 48, was chosen along with 16 additional honorees from a field of hundreds of dedicated volunteers and professionals, according to a statement by the NCLC.

The award was given to Berry in recognition for his work on the school board, as well as his involvement in youth activities and sports in the community.

"I'm very excited about the award," said Berry. "We have to do something to keep children focused."

Berry has been a familiar face among Dearborn’s families for about a decade. In addition to being a school board member, he has served on the board for the for five years. There, Berry worked hard to expand existing youth programming for children.

Another program co-created by Berry is the Dearborn Youth Football League, which uses the rules of football and cheerleading to reinforce the notion of teamwork, hard work, and fair play among its young participants. The program also mandates that students earn good grades if they want to remain part of the team, and Berry arranges for scholarships for children too poor to pay the fee.

"There was an 8-year-old that came to us last year, and he didn't really enage, but now, he's doing really well," he said. "It's important to give childen an outlet away fom the TV."

When the league was conceive in 2001, 210 children were actively involved, and today, that number is more than 265.