The award is named in honor of David Roche, a lifelong advocate for people with facial differences and a mentor to the staff of CCA. Roche is known for his warmth, wit, and authenticity, and his work has helped to change the hearts of many and lift the spirits of those in the facial difference community.

The award will be given each September, which is Craniofacial Acceptance Month. The recipient will receive a monetary honorarium of $500 and will be selected by a committee that includes CCA Executive Director, Outreach Director, David Roche, and past award recipients.

Aaliyah Booker is a senior at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Biology and plans to enroll in graduate school to attain her Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

As of, 2022, Aaliyah has taken on an integral role as the host of CCA’s Outreach Series as well a more public role in advocacy for children with facial differences. Aaliyah has interviewed 27 individuals so far on CCA’s YouTube page with many more coming soon. Additionally, she recently started her own business: “Born to Stand Out.”

PJ Reynafarje was born on December 16, 2017, to Crystal Kouri and Paul Reynafarje. Immediately, his parents sprang into action gathering and sharing information and even organizing a huge fundraiser for other children with facial differences before he was even 4 months old. 

PJ was born when the movie Wonder was still in theaters. Along with his mom, they began a virtual and in-person speaking tour to schools around their community and beyond. PJ was the face of Wonder for thousands of students and always invited back year after year to the schools and libraries he visited.

Through his platform, PJ’s Playhouse, on Instagram, he reached over 91K followers with messages of kindness, anti-bullying, and the message to love yourself. 

PJ’s Mom, Crystal, had just begun working for CCA as volunteer staff to continue the #ChooseKind educational program, when he passed away on January 31, 2023. Though his life was far too short, his impact was massive. His legacy will forever be the tiny super hero who showed us all that love is our super power. Like David Roche himself, PJ was and is a beacon of love.

Robert “Scott” Guzzo, was born August 5, 1983 in Indianapolis and lived his entire life in Evansville with his parents, Bob and Paula Guzzo. Scott was about 10 years old when he was diagnosed with Crane-Heise Syndrome, which is so rare that there have been only about a dozen documented cases, and Scott was the only known living person with this syndrome: that is, he was truly the most unique person among the almost 8 billion people in the world today. He passed away Monday, June 19, 2023, just shy of his 40^th birthday. 

Scott’s advocacy showed up in three distinct spheres: Educational, Community, and Social Inclusion. 

Scott attended Stockwell Elementary, Highland Elementary and Thompkins Middle School before graduating from Central High School in 2004. He was the first EVSC student with multiple disabilities to attend “regular” classes. Scott’s educational inclusion earned him an invitation to the White House in 1997 where he met President Bill Clinton. Scott volunteered at the EVPL (library), and was employed at Roberts Stadium, the Ford Center, and the Old National Events Plaza. 

In the community, Scott was insistent on being a part life and letting nothing stand in his way of exploring and enjoying everyday things and larger-than-life experiences, alike. He wasn’t afraid to stand up when something he encountered was not accessible for him, and often he and his parents wrote letters to businesses and gave feedback to advocate for better accessibility around his community and everywhere he visited. He was privileged to carry the 2004 Olympic torch and the 2016 Indiana Bicentennial torch. He met many celebrities and shared his story with thousands of people over the years. Scott loved to travel and has been to many major cities, resorts and national parks, often associated with the location of the annual CCA retreat. 

As a beloved figure in every social setting he was a part of, Scott gave as much love as he received. Scott loved music and dancing and was famous for spinning and squealing the tires on his power wheelchair to “Wipeout” at the annual Children’s Craniofacial Retreat. Scott was known as “The Mayor” of the CCA Retreat. Always there to volunteer and welcome new families, Scott never met a stranger and always made a friend.

In these ways, and so many more, Scott truly embodied the characteristics of warmth, wit, and authenticity. 

Rasheera Dopson, MPH is a motivational speaker, podcaster, author, D.E.I. consultant, and qualitative research fellow at the Institute of Human Development at Northern Arizona University. In which her intersectional approach to systems thinking has supported organizations and their teams to advance equity and mitigate health disparities in multiply-marginalized communities through community engagement, policy development, education, and advocacy. She founded the Dopson Foundation whose organizational aim is to advance professional, health and social equity for women and girls with disabilities.

Along with the David Roche Award of Excellence in Advocacy, Rasheera received two additional awards in 2022:

The fearless Woman Global community Impact Award and the Women’s History Month Advocacy Award.

Jaz Gray, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Pepperdine University and an international public speaker and presenter. She believes that story transforms the soul. She is a narrative researcher with expertise in entertainment and patient narratives who is interested in both how people in marginalized communities can use narrative to develop resiliency and how the media production process can be used to empower those communities. After earning a bachelor’s with a concentration in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University, she spent several years working in one of the most appearance focused industries in the world – Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA). She worked for companies including TV network BET and film studio Paramount Pictures. During that time, she co-founded the studio’s first ad hoc committee to address health-related diversity among employees.

Dr. Gray has had nearly 50 surgeries for a rare craniofacial disability. In addition to teaching, she speaks, moderates panels, and leads workshops on a range of topics including the power of stories, media representation, health equity, empowerment, healthy self-image, patient-centered care, and resilience. Her work is centered in service. Her nonprofit Jaz’s Jammies has collected over 17, 000 of pairs of pajamas for sick and displaced children and organized volunteer opportunities for over 8,000 people. Dr. Gray has been featured on affiliate networks for NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox discussing her advocacy work and on national and international platforms including NPR and BBC Radio discussing media representation of marginalized communities, like those with disabilities including craniofacial differences. Dr. Gray is motivated to use every gift and opportunity to glorify God and help transform lives.