2010 National Jefferson Award Winners June 22, 2010
15 JEFFERSON AWARDS PRESENTED FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN PUBLIC SERVICE/VOLUNTEERISM
Public figures, companies, athletes, students and community volunteers honored with 38th annual “Nobel Prize for Public Service” at Washington, D.C. gala
Washington, D.C., June 22, 2010 – Celebrating the decidedly American characteristic for giving back to the community, the nation and in some cases the world, the 38th annual Jefferson Awards were bestowed this evening on 15 recipients from throughout the country whose lives, careers and volunteer activities embody the finest examples of public service in a range of human endeavor.
Known as the “Nobel Prize for public service,” the awards are presented each year during a special gala ceremony in Washington, D.C. where a broad array of honorees are recognized – from high-profile individuals who have dedicated the better part of their lives to public service to celebrated professional athletes to largely unheralded community-based volunteers. Also recognized are organizations – companies that represent the pinnacle in corporate citizenship and schools that best reflect the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement.
Among this year’s recipients are the young founder of an organization that provides free emergency heavy equipment to communities hit by natural disasters, a physician who delivers medicines to HIV-infected children around the world, a teenage victim of child abuse who has become an outspoken advocate for foster care, a pair of big-city mayors, two professional athletes and a high school for boys that has instilled the value of community service in unprecedented ways.
“The social contract among us that is democracy demands not only active participation in our government but a shared commitment to one another,” said Sam Beard, founder and president of the Jefferson Awards. “The Jefferson Awards are a celebration of that sense of duty to our fellow citizens, our communities and beyond. At this moment in our nation’s history, with so many of our citizens burdened by economic challenges and ever-increasing obligations in our daily lives, it is heartening to recognize the abiding spirit of selflessness and care that drives volunteerism, public service and that American ideal of giving back to others. We are proud to shine a deserving spotlight on these extraordinary Jefferson Awards recipients.”
The 2010 Jefferson Awards honorees are:
NATIONAL RECIPIENTS Presented in four categories to individuals whose life’s work has ennobled public service.
• Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen (Horchow Award) – Paul Farmer, M.D. The founder and leader of Partners in Health, an international nonprofit organization that provides direct healthcare services and undertakes research and advocacy on behalf of those who are sick and living in poverty in developing nations.
• Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged – Jim Gibbons The former head of the National Institute of the Blind and today the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International where he works enhancing economic opportunities and professional development for people who, like himself, are blind or have other disabilities or disadvantages.
• Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 and Under – Tad Skylar Agoglia The founder of The First Response Team of America, a self-funded, nonprofit disaster-relief company that provides immediate free help, mostly in the form of heavy equipment that can clear roads and enable access to areas hit by such natural disasters as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods.
• Greatest Public Service by an Elected Official – Michael Bloomberg (co-recipient) The three-term mayor of the City of New York whose impact has been felt in varied ways – from his bold and innovative leadership that helped the city recover from the events of 9/11, to his broad efforts in preparing the nation’s largest city meet its future challenges to his own personal philanthropic donations that total more than $1.4 billion.
• Greatest Public Service by an Elected Official – Cory A. Booker (co-recipient) The former Rhodes scholar and community activist who was once dubbed “The Savior of Newark” by TIME magazine, the mayor of Newark has since 2006 been working to set a national standard of urban transformation for the city by increasing private philanthropy, reducing crime and creating greater economic opportunity.
JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS RECIPIENTS
Presented to five “Unsung Heroes” for their extraordinary and selfless volunteer work in their community. • Robert S. Edwards, Cincinnati, Ohio (nominated through The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Business Journal and The Rotary Club of Cincinnati) The organizer of the Freestore Foodbank’s Rubber Duck Regatta, Mr. Edwards has led a team of volunteers for the past 15 years that has raised the equivalent of 18 million meals to feed thousands of people in the Cincinnati area.
• Mark Kline, M.D., Houston, Texas (nominated through KPRC-TV) Chief of the retrovirology clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital, Dr. Kline founded the Baylor International AIDS initiative, an organization that delivers medication to HIV-positive children in countries where drugs are not readily available.
• Gary Maxworthy, San Francisco, Calif. (nominated through KPIX-TV and KCBS-AM) The founder of Farms to Family, a nonprofit organization that since 2000 has helped organize the delivery of more than 80 million pounds of fresh produce – fruits and vegetables that are misshapen or too small for retail sale – to more than a half million needy Californians.
• Jackie Millar, Madison, Wisconsin (nominated through WKOW-TV) The victim of a shooting in 1995 that left her partially paralyzed, legally blind and with seven bullet fragments still in her head, Ms. Millar has forged a new life, regularly visiting her assailant in prison (whom she now calls a friend) as well as traveling the country with her inspirational story of forgiveness and love.
• Heather Wilder, Las Vegas, Nevada (nominated through KTNV-TV) Abused by her biological parents at a young age, 16-year-old Heather has become a leading voice for helping other foster kids, conveying as an author and public speaker her inspirational story of hope and triumph over adversity.
CHAMPION RECIPIENTS
Presented to two exceptional individuals whose volunteer work reflects the deep and abiding commitment of their employers to making a difference in the communities where their employees live and work.
• Wilda Evans, Indianapolis, Indiana (Company: RCI) A financial analyst with Carmel, Indiana-based RCI, a global provider of leisure travel services to businesses and consumers, Ms. Evans has helped to spearhead the company’s support of Christel House, helping RCI last summer raise $100,000 for the international relief agency for children.
• Mario Martinez, Chicago, Illinois (Company: University of Illinois at Chicago) A third-year medical student at the University of Illinois at Peoria, Mr. Martinez co-founded HEARTS (Health Education, Awareness and Resources Teams), an organization consisting of teams of healthcare professionals who go out into the local community to educate the public about basic health issues.
STUDENTS IN ACTION RECIPIENT
Presented to a single school whose exemplary program of student volunteerism has successfully instilled the values of service, leadership and ethics. • Salesianum School, Wilmington, Delaware An independent Catholic secondary school for boys, Salesianum School has developed innovative and effective ways for encouraging, rewarding and instilling the ethic of community service throughout the campus community – a broad initiative that includes fundraisers, events and scholarships for graduating seniors who have distinguished themselves for their service.
ALL STAR RECIPIENTS
Presented to two professional athletes whose work in the community parallels their accomplishments in professional sports.
• Outstanding Athlete in Service and Philanthropy – Nnamdi Asomugha (Team: Oakland Raiders of the NFL) A two-time Pro Bowl defensive back for the Oakland Raiders, Mr. Asomugha has distinguished himself as a generous and caring professional athlete, donating supplies and equipment to high schoolers, providing guidance to students at the East Oakland Development Center and working to eradicate a range of problems in the African nation of Nigeria.
• Outstanding Athlete as a Newcomer in Service and Philanthropy – Tyrus Thomas (Team: Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA) A member of the 2007 NBA All-Rookie Team, Mr. Thomas is the founder of and active participant in both the Tyrus Thomas Foundation and C.A.T.C.H. (Caring and Actively Teaching Children Hope), two nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk children.
The 2010 gala awards presentation took place at the National Building Museum.
About The Jefferson Awards Co-founded in 1973 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, The Jefferson Awards annually celebrate America’s commitment to public service. Recognizing both the famous and the unknown, individuals and organizations, the young and old, the awards reflect one of the founding ideals of our nation, that of contributing toward the larger good. As Thomas Jefferson himself wrote, “Private charities as well as contributions to public purposes in proportion to everyone's circumstances are certainly among the duties we owe to society." The Jefferson Award recipients are nominated from throughout the country and selected by the organization’s board of directors, who include Hank Aaron, the Hon. Julian Bond, Cris Collinsworth, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, the Hon. Mitch McConnell, the Hon. Harry Reid, Neil Simon, Leslie Stahl and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Honorees are chosen on the basis of two main criteria: the outstanding nature of the acts of service and the impact on the community of those acts. Past recipients of the award include Lance Armstrong, Hubert Humphrey, Dr. C. Everett Koop, General Colin Powell and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. For more information on The Jefferson Awards, visit www.JeffersonAwards.org.