Awards and Recognition
Leo B. Hart Humanitarian Award
Outstanding contributions to social justice and welfare
Homecoming 2008 Award Winner
Gudrun Godare
Gudrun M. Godare is an unsung hero who makes the seemingly impossible possible for countless teachers and children.
Gudrun has been involved in literacy work all of her professional life — as a teacher-librarian working with children, a facilitator of countless literature study groups for adults, a mentor for aspiring teachers and teacher-librarians, and as a volunteer in several literacy organizations and projects.
The library programs she developed in TUSD sites encourage students to become learners on their own through inquiry, book selection, and research; provides teachers with a collaborative partner — Gudrun — in lesson preparation and delivery; and invites parents into the literacy community through book clubs and library family nights. This work was recognized by the DeWitt Wallace Foundation and Gudrun was awarded a three-year grant as a Library Power School.
Gudrun also is the coordinator of membership activities in Arizona for the International Reading Association, a scholarly and professional organization of 100,000 members that promotes literacy worldwide.
In addition to her many contributions to the state and region, Gudrun works diligently in the Tucson community. She always is available to lend a helping hand to causes great and small, including Tucson Unified School District’s Professional Learning Department, the 2009 Tucson Book Festival, ReadingSeed, and the UA School of Information Resources and Library Science research project on science, collaboration, information literacy, and Latino students.
Today, we are delighted to sing her praises as we present the Leo B. Hart Humanitarian Award to Gudrun M. Godare.