2010 Harris Wofford Awards
Clyde's in downtown Washington, DC
Directly following TEDxCaptial, the Harris Wofford Awards will be presented at the Piedmont Room in Clyde’s of Gallery Place. Clyde’s is located directly below Regal Cinemas on 7th Street, Northwest DC.
The Harris Wofford Award carries significant prestige since it recognizes one of our nation’s greatest public servants. This award was created to honor Senator Wofford’s work in making service and service-learning the common expectation and common experience of every young person in America.
In his youth, Mr. Wofford was featured in Time Magazine and invited to lunch with Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House for his crusade to unite the world’s democracies against fascism and totalitarianism. A member of the first civil rights commission in the 1950s, he joined the Kennedy Administration’s civil rights team and then helped start the Peace Corps. He subsequently marched with Martin Luther King for voting rights in Selma, Alabama in 1965. After two college presidencies and a leadership role in the cabinet of Governor Casey of Pennsylvania, Mr. Wofford was appointed and then elected to the United States Senate. As the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service during the Clinton Administration, he is credited with saving AmeriCorps. Today, he serves on the board of directors of Youth Service America.
2010 Recipients:
Grace Li accepts her 2010 Harris Wofford Award for Youth.
Youth:
Grace Li of Manvel, Texas, Co-Founder We Care Act
The mission of We Care Act includes helping young disaster victims to recover and engage youth around the world to help others in need. The organization has helped the earthquake victims in Sichuan, China, the hurricane victims in Galveston, Texas, poverty students in a remote mountain area in Hunan, China, and help raise funds for autism research. This organization has recruited more than 24 groups around the world, including youth and children from China, Canada, Singapore, and the USA.
“So what made me believe, even for an instant, that I could change the world? I’m not sure. Maybe it was a temporary bout of insanity. Maybe it was a sudden self-confidence. Or maybe, just maybe, it was hope.” Read more…
Margaret Carter accepts the award for People to People International.
Organization:
People to People International
The purpose of People to People International (PTPI) is to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural, and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. While not a partisan or political institution, PTPI supports the basic values and goals of its founder, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 2009, PTPI student members demonstrated their commitment to service by participating in more than 70 Global Youth Service Day projects. From New York to Ghana, Ukraine to Sri Lanka, PTPI student members made a difference by planting trees, donating school supplies to Operation International Children, beautifying their communities and more. In 2010, PTPI seeks to yet again increase participation in GYSD with the help of all of its student members around the world!
Media:
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and aggregated blog, featuring various news sources and columnists. A special channel called “Impact” promotes engagement opportunities and positive approaches to health, education, human service, human rights, and environmental challenges. The site also offers coverage of politics, media, business, entertainment, living, style, college, the green movement, world news, and comedy, and is a top destination for news, blogs, and original content. With 22 million unique visitors per month, the Huffington Post is the most linked to blog on the Internet.
Elected Officials:
Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, Tennessee
On Martin Luther King Day 2010 Cities of Service and the Rockefeller Foundation announced that Nashville was one of 10 cities selected nationwide to receive a two year grant to hire a Chief Service Officer dedicated to developing and implementing a citywide plan to increase volunteerism in the areas of education, the environment, and emergency responsiveness. Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country, representing more than 38 million Americans in 80 cities, dedicated to engaging Americans in service and channeling volunteers towards each city’s most pressing challenges. Mayor Karl Dean is committed to increasing the number of Nashville schools offering service-learning programs, a strategy for teaching and learning, from the current level of 15 percent to 50 percent.
Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa, Arizona
Mayor Smith demonstrated his commitment to service by signing on as a member of the Cities of Service coalition in December. One of the first programs in this effort will be the Mayor’s Youth “Summer of Service” program where Mesa youth can participate in service-learning activities during their summer break. These opportunities will provide an avenue for young people to develop their roles as active members of the community while learning and having fun. The Mayor’s Youth and Education Foundation is being formed to encourage philanthropy to help further this cause. The Mayor’s Youth and Education Foundation will be managed by the Mayor’s Council on Service – a volunteer advisory group comprised of service-minded Mesa residents.