David Roche Award for Excellence in Advocacy

Award Description & Criteria

The David Roche Award for Excellence in Advocacy is an annual award bestowed on a speaker, educator, storyteller, artist, medical professional, or family member in the facial difference community who has gone above and beyond to advance the status of people with facial differences, promote acceptance and appreciation of appearance diversity, and challenged the stigma that surrounds physical differences.

The award is named in honor of the esteemed David Roche, CM, for his lifelong dedication to opening minds and connecting hearts and for his invaluable mentorship and support to the staff of Children’s Craniofacial Association.

David is a champion of love. He seeks to break down barriers and build bridges between diverse communities. David is an incredible listener, who after years of finding and honing his own voice, has lifted thousands of voices and helped them access truer authenticity and reach new audiences. David cultivates confidence and creates space for conversations. His core characteristics of warmth, wit, and authenticity have changed the hearts of many and lifted the spirits of those in the facial difference community. It is with our utmost gratitude for his body of work and genuine interest in giving back that we establish this award in his name.

The award will be given each September, which is Craniofacial Acceptance Month.
The award will come with a monetary honorarium of $500.
The award will be selected by the David Roche Award for Excellence in Advocacy committee, which is made up of Children’s Craniofacial Association Executive Director, Outreach Director, David Roche, and past award recipients.
Nominations for the award will be solicited each year from June-July and the committee will meet in August to review nominations and select a winner.
Selected recipients may come from submitted nominations, but do not have to be chosen from the nominations collected.
The award is meant to be received only once per person.
The recipient should display characteristics that embody David’s lifetime of work: remarkable spirit, warmth, wit, and authenticity.
The award will be presented live virtually, if possible, every year.