French is a legal secretary with Greenebaum, Doll & McDonald who writes in her "spare" time. She has won awards for her short stories, and decided to test her skill as a playwright by entering this competition. The mother of four children, ages 15 to 29, French was surprised by the award and explained that after entering her script, she kept thinking of ways she could improve on it.

Judges praised French's work, stating, "The Movement has every ingredient for a great human interest story", "My favorite. I definitely connected with Silas and teared up a bit at the end" and "What a very creative way to tell a story that's actually very old. The ending was excellent."

French will receive a cash award of $2,500.00, the Dreambuilder Celebration trophy and will see her script produced as a made-for-television movie to be aired on Dreambuilder stations early in 2002.

The writing competition is the first stage of the year-long Dreambuilder Celebration. Auditions for actors and crew for The Movement and for our station's Dreambuilder Assistant will be announced in the next few weeks. Opportunities for internships and mentorships, educational seminars and theatrical performances are included in the Dreambuilder program.

The Dreambuilder Celebration encourages inclusion and unity by sharing history, ideas and entertainment. By providing opportunities in the fields of broadcasting, journalism and the arts, the Dreambuilder Celebration honors the community and supports broadcast hopefuls from all ethnic backgrounds in pursuing their dreams.