Robin DeLaVergne to be Named Cornelia Corbett Awardee

A group of people pose for a picture. They are holding children's books.

Champions for Children (CFC) announces that Ms. Robin DeLaVergne will be named as the 2024 Cornelia Corbett Child Advocate Award recipient. The award will be presented at CFC’s annual Light the Way Soiree on April 30th.  

DeLaVergne is Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Tampa General Hospital and a highly recognized philanthropic and community leader. She has worked to promote strong family support and the care for children. DeLaVergne serves on several Tampa Bay Area boards to include Tampa Downtown Partnership of Directors and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Former Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed DeLaVergne as a Board Member for the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. DeLavergne has received multiple distinguished awards for her commitment and leadership in the Tampa Bay area to include the 2012 Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, the 2017 Dottie Berger MacKinnon Woman of Influence Award from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the 2017 Sustainer of the Year from the Junior League of Tampa and Leadership Tampa Alumni’s 2017 Parke Wright III Award. 

Of the award recent, DeLavergne says, “The need for prevention of child abuse and neglect is great in our community. It takes many voices to fight in the defense for children. I am honored to be recognized as one of those voices and named as this year’s award recipient.” 

Each year, CFC presents the Cornelia Corbett Child Advocate Award to a prominent community member who, through their philanthropy and advocacy, has made a significant contribution to the welfare of children in the Tampa Bay Area. 

Dr. Amy Haile, CFC Chief Executive Officer, says, “Ms. DeLavergne has faithfully dedicated her time and talents to standing in the defense of our community’s most vulnerable members. She truly is a champion for the children of Tampa Bay and a bright light toward as hopeful future.”  

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and, as the Tampa Bay Area’s lead agency in child abuse and prevention, CFC has been raising awareness of the issues and the impact of its prevention work. Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties are among the highest in Florida for the most reported and confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect. The Department of Children and Families reports that in these counties, a daily average of 88 hotline calls are made to report cases of child abuse and neglect. Champions for Children is dedicated to changing this statistic by working with families to build positive attachments, confidence and resilience. 

The Light the Way campaign kicked off on April 1st and has featured various events and activities throughout the month. These have included a community-wide call to “wear blue” on April 10th, which featured the lighting of key Tampa Bay area locations in honor of child abuse prevention and CFC’s Light the Way Soiree on April 30The public is welcome to attend the award presentation and Light the Way Soiree on April 30th from 6-8 p.m. at the Shanna and Bryan Glazer JCC, 522 N. Howard Ave. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Light the Way Soiree by April 28th, visit cfctb.org/capm.