Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps Honors Theodore Oatis Posthumously with Embracing the Legacy Award

BOSTON — A dedicated and passionate advocate for children with serious emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges, Theodore “Ted” Oatis will be honored posthumously with Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps’ Embracing the Legacy Award on June 5 at the JFK Library and Presidential Museum. His wife, Helyn, and his children, Emily, Martha and Taylor Oatis, will accept the award on his behalf.

For 25 years, Oatis served on the agency’s board of directors, having filled the role left behind by Elizabeth, his first wife and the mother of Emily, Martha and Taylor, who died of complications from melanoma in 1990 when she was only 40 years old.

As an involved board member and generous supporter of the agency, Oatis felt that every child should have the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment and reach his or her full potential.

“Ted truly understood the importance of protecting and promoting the rights and well-being of children and families,” says Edward P. Kelley, president and CEO of Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. “He was always the first to help any cause focused on improving the lives of children, the very premise by which Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps was established.”

Hosted by the real estate development and management firm he co-founded, The Chiofaro Company, Oatis would annually invite agency youth to his office at One International Place for a special holiday lunch and performance of the Nutracker. He took his role a step further when he traded his briefcase for bike shorts and hopped on his bicycle to raise money for the agency through the Rodman Ride for Kids, an annual fundraiser that benefits many social service agencies serving at-risk youth in Massachusetts.

For decades, Oatis was a champion for children and youth, improving the lives of hundreds of children across the state through his volunteer and charitable efforts. With his expertise in real estate, he was instrumental in helping the agency develop a new building to house the four residential programs on its Lancaster campus. One of these programs was the Elizabeth Birk Oatis Children’s Center, which was renamed the Elizabeth Birk and Theodore Allen Oatis Children’s Center after Ted passed away from cancer in August 2014.

During the holiday season, Oatis would take an active role in purchasing gifts for the agency’s Winter Wish gift drive, a program that ensures every agency youth has gifts to unwrap. He made it an annual tradition, bringing Helyn to shop with him as one of their first dates together. Many of the children served by the agency face abuse or neglect in some way, and sometimes the only gifts they receive during the holidays are the ones donated by the public.

“Ted had an extraordinary gift to make people feel valued,” says Helyn Oatis. “As he was hand selecting books, clothing, hats, and socks for the youth, I remember him telling me how these children asked for the most basic items because they didn’t have anything.” Helyn was so impacted by her husband’s work with the agency that she joined the board after his death.

Oatis helped raise awareness and funds for a number of non-profits, including Save the Harbor Save the Bay, Boston Municipal Research Bureau, in addition to serving as an overseer of the Boston Architectural College. He also supported numerous other organizations.

“My siblings and I took great pride in participating in Thanksgiving dinners with the kids at the Lancaster Campus and helping our father shop for their holiday gifts,” says Ted’s daughter, Emily. “By purchasing items that were on their wish lists that we took for granted, such as art supplies, legos and backpacks, it showed the youth that there are people in the world who cared about their well-being. My father never talked about the time he spent doing these things or the monetary contributions he made. He participated in acts of kindness because he was in a position to do so. He helped make the world a better place and showed his family the value of helping others in need.”

As a way of honoring public and private leaders in their efforts to aid children and their families, Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps annually presents its Embracing the Legacy Award to individuals whose work parallels the late senator’s values and mission.

During the June 5 event, Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III, RFK Children’s Action Corps’ board member and event co-chair, will reflect on his late grandfather’s legacy. Through the Embracing the Legacy event, the agency raises money to support some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable youth and families, giving them a second chance for a better life. The agency, which is celebrating 46 years of service, is a national leader in developing and implementing model, successful child welfare and juvenile justice programs.

The event will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner and program, including the award presentation to Oatis as well as the following honorees: UTEC (United Teen Equality Center), a non-profit working with proven-risk youth in Lowell and Lawrence, Mass.; Roy Wade Jr., M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H instructor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and fellow at the Stoneleigh Foundation; and Tim Wakefield, former Boston Red Sox pitcher and 2004 and 2007 World Series Champion, honorary chairman Red Sox Foundation and NESN studio analyst.

Past honorees include activists Marian Wright Edelman and Peter Edelman, Olympic Gold Medalist Rafer Johnson, former running back Gayle Sayers, educator Jonathan Kozol, Teach for America’s Wendy Kopp, and Casey Family Program’s Dr. William Bell.