Champions Of Children Receive Elliott Award
Foster parents, child protection workers, youth, and non-profit organizations were honored on Thursday, April 16, during an awards ceremony in Missoula at the Hilton Garden Inn as part of the annual Montana Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect Conference sponsored by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
“These individuals and organizations exemplify what it means to put Montana’s children and families first,” DPHHS director Charlie Brereton said. “I am continually inspired by the compassion and commitment of our child welfare workforce and partners — and seeing the strength of the young people in our care reminds us every day why this work matters. I thank each of them for their service.”
The 2026 PCAN Conference theme, “United by Purpose,” brought together colleagues and partners from across the state with a shared mission of collaboration.
During the awards ceremony, DPHHS and Montana Children’s Trust Fund representatives recognized individuals and organizations from Belgrade, Billings, Butte, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Hamilton, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, Pryor and Sidney.
The list of awards includes the Jana Elliott Memorial Resource Parents of the Year. This award goes to foster/adoptive parents who are committed to excellence in working with birth parents and children in foster care and/or children who have been adopted.
The award is named after the late Jana Elliott, who served the Wolf Point community in many ways, both as a licensed foster parent and as a sixth-grade teacher. In 2016, the Wolf Point community su red a huge loss when Elliott tragically lost her life in a car accident while helping someone in need.
The 2026 recipients of this award are Andrew and Jenny Sneigoski of Billings, Anna Snyder of Belgrade, Melissa and Gabe Zeiler of Sidney, Nichole Cowell and Jackson Rose of Frenchtown, Shemiah and Caleb Clark of Helena, and Heywood Big Day III of Pryor.
