For Carla Richards, being named Mrs. Washington in 2010 was a lifelong dream.  But it wasn't necessarily her greatest accomplishment.

That much is obvious when she speaks about her family.

"When you're having a hard time in life, it helps to reach out help others," she said. "Our family believes that and works at that."

Richards' husband, Jeff, spent 23 years in the Air Force and is currently stationed at Whidbey Island as a Naval Reserve Division Officer, so although being a proud military spouse is part of her life, her biggest passion is advocacy for her children. She and Jeff have two sons, Kenny, 14, who has been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, and Cody, 11, who has been diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Recently, Kenny, an 8th grader at Hudtloff Middle School, was awarded the 2012 National Zak Hollis Youth Achievement Award at the National Tourette Syndrome Association's 40th Anniversary National Conference, which was held in Arlington, Va. The award is presented to youth that have displayed outstanding achievement in scholarship, volunteerism, special interests, athletics or employment.

"I think all of my community service really boosted me above and beyond," said Kenny, who volunteers an average of 12 hours a month between work with the Boy Scouts, Operation Homefront and as a youth ambassador for the Tourette Syndrome Association, for which he visits classrooms and clubs to promote awareness and dispel stereotypes of the disorder.

Previous recipients were already in high school or college, making Kenny the youngest person to receive the award. Since he cannot be nominated or receive this top honor again, it's hard to imagine what his next step could be.

"I'm not a person that can tell the future, but I think I have a new plan," he said. "I created a Special Education Bill of Rights to have people sign so we can help the system at my school and other schools. Once I have enough signatures, I plan to give it to the superintendent because I think it is important to make those (special education) programs stronger."

Kenny's mother believes his inspiration came from visiting the Jefferson Memorial and the Declaration of Independence while they were at the TSA conference. In addition to his potential future in political science, Kenny is hard at work running a local monthly support group that he founded with his mother in 2010.

The support group, which averages at least 20 to 25 attendees per month, is meant for the whole family to attend and includes children diagnosed not only with Tourette Syndrome and autism, but also co-morbid conditions such as ADD, ADHD and OCD.

"It is a little different to have the children involved at the meetings, but we think it is necessary," explained Jeff. "These kids quietly suffer a lot, and when they meet they instantly bond and start to heal each other. It's amazing."

The group meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Life Center Church in Tacoma. For more information about the group, email carlacrichards@yahoo.com.