Child Development Center announced as finalist for 2025 Daniels Fund Medal of Excellence

CASPER, Wyo. — The Child Development Center of Natrona County was announced as one of three finalists for the 2025 Daniels Fund Medal of Excellence.

That’s according to a release from The Daniels Fund, which stated that the Medal of Excellence is an annual award that celebrates outstanding nonprofit organizations that create lasting, positive change in their communities.

The Child Development Center joins two other nonprofit organizations: Cross Purpose and Teaching the Autism Community Trades.

The three finalists were chosen from a group of six semifinalists, which also included the Denver School of Science & Technology, New Legacy Charter School and Special Olympics of Colorado.

One of the three organizations will be named the winner at the Salute to Excellence awards ceremony on Jan. 29, 2025. The winner will receive $250,000 to support its mission, while the two runner-ups will receive $100,000 for their own work.

According to the release, the Salute to Excellence award recognizes top-performing Daniels Fund grantees who were selected for their transformative impact, their alignment with Bill Daniels’s legacy and their outstanding leadership.

“Bill Daniels’ vision was to support organizations that are leading the way in making a transformative impact in their communities and truly changing lives,” Hanna Skandera, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund, said in the release. “These outstanding finalists are doing exactly that, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements.”

The Child Development Center, according to its website, is committed to “transforming the lives of children with developmental disabilities, and helping them reach their full potential by providing early intervention and compassionate care.

Last year, the winner of the 2024 Medal of Excellence was Step Denver, “a residential addiction recovery program that offers men with nowhere else to turn the opportunity to rebuild their lives through sobriety, work, accountability, and community.”

Step Denver used its $250,000 prize to support the expansion of its program to Colorado Springs, Colorado.