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Bette Nelson was recently awarded The Sonja Atetewuthtakewa Award. The award is for Distinguished Service in the Protection of Native American Children.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Bette Nelson, a Child Welfare Specialist for the Cherokee Nation, was recently awarded The Sonja Atetewuthtakewa Award for Distinguished Service in the Protection of Native American Children.

According to Bette's supervisor, Tami Haley, it's appropriate that Bette received this Award.

"Sonja Atetewuthtakewa was a Comanche Indian woman that spent 20 years as a social worker, fighting for Native American children," Haley said. "Bette has been with the Cherokee Nation for 18 years and she has been a fierce advocate for children since her first day on the job. One of the reasons she won this award is because she was the only one nominated from someone in the private sector."

Brenda Ogden and Mary Wyman, employees of the Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility in Taft, Oklahoma, nominated Nelson for the Sonja Atetewuthtakewa Award. Ogden, Wyman and Nelson worked for years on projects where the inmates repaired toys, tricycles and made Christmas stocking stuffers for children in Tribal or State custody. Ogden and Wyman stated in their nomination that Bette went above and beyond the call of duty by spending many extra hours attending sporting events and special functions of the children she works with and lots of her own money.

Nelson, who knew as a young girl that she wanted to work with children, earned a degree in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma State University.

"My parents were a big influence in my life," Nelson said. "My mother was a teacher, so education was just a natural step for me to take. My father had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known and I try to be the same way with the kids I work with."

Nelson began her career with Cherokee Nation as a teacher in the Headstart program. She eventually worked her way into the Indian Children Welfare program where she currently supervises the cases of Cherokee children in State custody in Cherokee County, as well as carrying her own caseload in State or Tribal court.

"I feel like everything I've ever done in my life has prepared me for the work I do today. We can completely turn a child's life around by offering just a little help," Nelson said.

One year Nelson missed Christmas Day with her family to take a young boy to see his mother. She also remembers the day a teacher told her that she could always tell when a child was in foster care by the way they dressed.

"I remember saying to myself, 'Not a Cherokee child.' I don't want these children to be thought of, or treated differently because they're in foster care. So, if one of my kids needs a name-brand shirt or shoes, I make sure they get it," Nelson said.

Nelson is proud of the work the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare staff performs on behalf of Cherokee children.

"I see Indian families from other tribes in court all the time and there is no one there to help them," Nelson said. "It's really sad because I know that they're not getting the help they deserve."

Tears stream down Nelson's face as she states that the hardest thing she does is having a parent's rights terminated.

"I sit in court and I hear the judge say, 'from this moment forward parental ties are severed,'--it's forever."

Fortunately, in the Cherokee Nation court system, termination is rare and most families are able to stay together.

"It's the most rewarding thing I do," Nelson said. "I walk out of court knowing that I've returned the child to the place where he or she is happy and safe."

A plaque hangs over Bette's desk that has become her creed. The plaque states: 'A hundred years from now-it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But, the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.'