Carnegie Heroes awards 19 for bravery
December 23, 2008 by markhopper · 1 Comment
A Wisconsin man who lunged in front of a train to save a 3-year-old from certain death and a New York man who twice entered a burning building to rescue two little girls were among 19 people awarded Carnegie medals Monday for their courage.
Merlin Harn, 40, and his wife were driving by a railroad track on Sept. 1, 2007, in their hometown of Menasha, Wis., when they saw an unattended 3-year-old boy wandering on the tracks.
Before police arrived, the crossing lights, bells and whistles went off. Harn ran to the boy, grabbed him under the arms and carried him to safety seconds before the train passed them, its emergency brake activated.
The Carnegie Heroes Fund gave its fourth group of awards this year to 19 people who risked their own lives to save others. Some of the people died or were injured rescuing others who were drowning, being attacked or were trapped in fires.
The heroes announced bring to 92 the number of awards made in 2008 and to 9,243 the total number of awards since the Pittsburgh-based Fund’s inception in 1904. Commission President Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their next of kin will also receive a financial grant. Throughout the 104 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $31.1 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.
See the entire list of heroes here.
Another of the heroes, James Carpenter, was at his home in Gloversville, N.Y., when he noticed the house next door had gone up in flames. Running into the burning building, Carpenter made his way through dense smoke and found two girls trapped on the second floor.
He grabbed 5-year-old Chelsea and made his way out of the house with her, but her 3-year-old sister, Jocelyn, remained inside. Carpenter, 28, re-entered the burning home, ran upstairs and called for the little girl. Grabbing Jocelyn, Carpenter realized the stairs were impassable. He went into a bedroom and lowered her out the window into the arms of two men outside.
The two-fold mission of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: To recognize persons who perform acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependants of those killed helping others.
We live in a heroic age, Andrew Carnegie wrote in the opening lines of the Commission’s founding Deed of Trust in 1904. Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows.
Those who are selected for recognition by the Commission are awarded the CARNEGIE MEDAL, and they, or their survivors, become eligible for financial considerations, including one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance. To date, more than 9,000 medals have been awarded, the recipients selected from more than 80,000 nominees. About 20 percent of the medals are awarded posthumously. Awardees are announced five times a year, following meetings of the Commission.
Among the other heroes was Walter Rosenthal, 58, of Toms Place, Calif. He died trying to save James J. Juarez and John S. McAndrews from suffocation after they were buried by snow at a resort in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on April 6, 2006.
Steel baron Andrew Carnegie launched the hero fund in 1904 after hearing about rescue stories from a mine disaster that had killed 181 people. Since then, $31.1 million has been awarded to 9,243 people. Each recipient, or their heirs, receives $6,000 and a medal.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
2008 CNN Heroes airs Thanksgiving night
November 24, 2008 by markhopper · Leave a Comment
Singer Christina Aguilera joins fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” airing Thanksgiving night on CNN.
The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,000 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, pays tribute to the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008.
Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, has been named the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.
McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, received the honor at Saturday night’s taping of “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.” The telecast airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Thanksgiving on the global networks of CNN.
McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.
“To the country and the world, I ask you to please join us,” McCartney said. “Together we can continue to rebuild families’ homes and lives. … If you join us, we’ll be unstoppable.”
Hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” features moving musical performances by Aguilera, Keys and Legend.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ueberroth’s recognized with Award of Excellence
November 5, 2008 by Aubrey01 · Leave a Comment
Ronald McDonald House Charities hosted its 24th Annual Awards of Excellence celebration on Saturday, November 1 in Rosemont, Ill. to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improve the lives of children.
The annual event presented three prestigious awards to individuals selected from across the globe, including:
- Peter & Virginia Ueberroth, founders of the Ueberroth Family Foundation, honored with the RMHC Award of Excellence for their commitment to assisting local community-based groups and programs that promote social change.
- Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis, editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, honored with the RMHC Medical Award of Excellence for her contributions in the areas of pediatric medicine and medical education.
- Lionel Whitehead, McDonald’s owner/operator and dedicated philanthropist, honored with the Gerry Newman McTLC Award of Excellence for his legacy of leadership and commitment to RMHC that led to the establishment of the first Ronald McDonald House(R) in New Zealand.
“We are honored to recognize these extraordinary individuals for their ongoing contributions to improving the lives of children everywhere,” said Marty Coyne, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities. “Children around the world would not have a chance at a better life if it weren’t for the dedication and commitment of people like the Ueberroths, Dr. DeAngelis and Lionel Whitehead.”
An Evening of Celebration
As part of their recognition, Peter and Virginia Ueberroth and Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis were each awarded a $100,000 grant that will be donated to The Ueberroth Foundation and the Child Life Program at John Hopkins Children’s Center, respectively. Lionel Whitehead received a $50,000 grant that will be given to RMHC New Zealand.
In addition to honoring the four remarkable individuals, the 2008 Awards of Excellence celebration included dinner, entertainment by Grammy award winning artist Richard Marx and country music star Kenny Rogers and a live auction that took place throughout the evening. Attendees had the opportunity to bid on exclusive prizes, including two first-class round trip airline tickets anywhere in the U.S. from United Airlines; round-trip airline tickets and a six-night hotel stay in London; two tickets to the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla. and a VIP weekend getaway to Las Vegas, including airfare and hotel stay at Mandalay Bay Casino.
Past RMHC Awards of Excellence Recipients
Past RMHC Awards of Excellence Recipients have included: actress and national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Marlo Thomas (2007); NCAA championship basketball coach and youth mentor John Wooden (2006); the late actor Paul Newman on the behalf of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps (2005); actor, director and humanitarian Danny Glover (2004); renowned pediatric surgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson (2003); Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan (2002); tennis star Andrea Jaeger (2001); performer and humanitarian Harry Belafonte (2000); Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s Corporation founder Ray A. Kroc (1999); former First Lady Betty Ford (1998); Retired U.S. Army General Colin Powell (1997); acclaimed theologian Henri J. M. Nouwen (1996); former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Antonia Novello (1995); former First Lady Barbara Bush (1994); the late Fred Rogers (1993); children’s health and disability advocate Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1992); former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1991); and “The Muppets” creator Jim Henson (1990), among others.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eleven Celebrities honored by Make-a-Wish
October 9, 2008 by Stil7 · Leave a Comment
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America announced 11 celebrities and industry insiders as recipients of its 19th annual Chris Greicius Celebrity Awards. The honorees were selected for their exceptional dedication to the Foundation’s mission by helping grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
The recipients are:
Celebrity Wish Granters
- Actor George Lopez
- The cast and crew of the NBC TV series Deal or No Deal
- Recording artists Rascal Flatts
- Donald Trump, Chairman & President of the Trump Organization
- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki
- Palace Sports & Entertainment, owner of the NBA Detroit Pistons
Industry Icons
- Howie Schwab, ESPN’s TV series Stump the Schwab
- Dean Kurtz, chief guest-services officer for International Speedway Corporation
- Lori Rischer, artist manager & radio/marketing executive at THE FIRM
- Kenny Ortega, Disney’s High School Musical director, choreographer and producer
- Spooky Stevens, unit publicist
“The gift of time these winners offer is invaluable and ensures that each wish they are involved with brings unparalleled joy,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “Their commitment to our mission creates irreplaceable memories and moments of joy for children facing life-threatening medical conditions. We are so grateful for their support, and hope that other children will share the power of a wish® with their help.”
Started in 1990, the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award is named in honor of the 7-year-old boy whose 1980 wish to be a police officer inspired a group of caring volunteers to fulfill his dream and later create the Foundation, now the largest wish-granting organization in the world.
Make-A-Wish® chapters nominated celebrities for their efforts during the past year to grant amazing wishes to the wish kids who wanted to meet them. The Foundation’s Celebrity and National Sports Program staff chose the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award winners from those nominations and also selected industry icons for their dedication to wish kids in creating and planning memorable wish experiences for them.
The Celebrity and National Sports Program facilitates the wishes of children who ask to meet their favorite TV or movie star, musician, athlete, entertainment personality or other public figure. During fiscal year 2008 (ending Aug. 31), the Make-A-Wish Foundation fulfilled 880 celebrity or national sports wishes, about 6 percent of the more than 13,000 total wishes granted by the nonprofit organization.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation: The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 66 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 171,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish® .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Out of the Blue — $500,000 — No Strings
October 2, 2008 by markhopper · Leave a Comment
They include a neurobiologist, a saxophonist, a critical care physician, an urban farmer, an optical physicist, a sculptor, a geriatrician, a historian of medicine, and an inventor of musical instruments. All were selected for their creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future. Each received a phone call from the MacArthur Foundation with news of $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years.
“The MacArthur Fellows Program celebrates extraordinarily creative individuals who inspire new heights in human achievement,” said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. “With their boldness, courage, and uncommon energy, this new group of Fellows, men and women of all ages in diverse fields, exemplifies the boundless nature of the human mind and spirit.”
MacArthur Fellowships offer the opportunity for Fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. The unusual level of independence afforded to Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors. The extraordinary creativity of MacArthur Fellows knows neither boundaries nor the constraints of age, place and endeavor.
Recipients this year include:
- an astronomer designing experiments and devices to advance understanding of the geometry of the universe and the story of both its beginning and its end (Adam Reiss);
- a neuroscientist tracing the natural interactions of differentiating neurons, bringing us closer to developing effective methods for treating central nervous system damage (Sally Temple);
- a novelist exploring the circumstances that lead to ethnic conflict in works inspired by events in her native Nigeria (Chimamanda Adichie);
- an inventor of musical instruments that transform and transcend the musical experience and navigate the boundaries between live and recorded sound (Walter Kitundu);
- an urban farmer applying low-cost technologies to the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved urban populations here and abroad (Will Allen);
- a geriatrician transforming treatment for the seriously ill into more humane and effective care (Diane Meier);
- an optical physicist demonstrating that power can be transmitted wirelessly, opening the door to the possibility of a range of devices operating free of traditional power sources (Marin Soljačić);
- a saxophonist drawing from a variety of jazz idioms and the music of his native Puerto Rico to create complex, accessible sounds that overflow with emotion (Miguel Zenón);
- a critical care physician devising life-saving, clinical practices to improve patient safety in hospitals and spare countless lives from the deadly consequences of human error (Peter Pronovost);
- a structural engineer restoring cathedrals and other structures of the distant past and identifying ancient technologies for use in contemporary constructions (John Ochsendorf);
- a stage lighting designer pushing the visible boundaries of her art form with painterly lighting that evokes mood and sculpts movement in dance, drama, and opera (Jennifer Tipton);
- an anthropologist illuminating the intellectual and emotional life of ancient Mesoamerican peoples through insightful interpretations of hieroglyphic inscriptions and figural art (Stephen Houston).
“As a group, this new class of Fellows takes one’s breath away,” said Daniel J. Socolow, Director of the MacArthur Fellows Program. “Each is an original, and each confirms that the creative individual is alive and well, at the cutting edge, and at work singularly and powerfully to make our world a better place.”
The selection process begins with formal nominations. Hundreds of anonymous nominators assist the Foundation in identifying people to be considered for a MacArthur Fellowship. Nominations are accepted only from invited nominators, a list that is constantly renewed throughout the year. They are chosen from many fields and challenged to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity and promise. A 12-member Selection Committee, whose members also serve anonymously, meets regularly to review files, narrow the list, and make final recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Meet the 2008 MacArthur Fellows 
See a reelated Video from Darynkagan.com. This is an interview with Fellow Dr. Peter Pronovost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The stories of twelve New York City Gold Key winners
October 2, 2008 by Stil7 · Leave a Comment
The stories of twelve New York City Gold Key winners at Radiant Minds, the local exhibition and awards ceremony at the Brooklyn Museum.
Scholastic, Inc. was founded in 1927. The Central New York Region has sponsored an annual art competition for over 55 years. Scholastic’s Art Awards Program is the largest annual student art competition in Central New York and nationally. Over 5,000 entries are submitted to the CNY competition each year.
Art awards are given in 19 categories of 2 and 3 dimensional media. Nationally, over 100 scholarships are offered each year to qualified seniors. The CNY Region encompasses 13 counties and over 400 eligible schools. More than 60 professional educators, artists, and photographers select the award winners. Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention winners are recognized along with American Vision winners, Best of Show, scholarship winners and other cash award winners.
The entire awards show is broadcast to 19 counties in Central New York region by WCNY-TV. The exhibit and opening reception are housed at the Whitney Applied Technology Center on the campus of Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008 Clinton Global Citizen Award Winners announced
Former President Clinton recognized four remarkable individuals for their leadership and impact in improving the lives of millions around the globe at the second annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards. The Clinton Global Citizen Awards ceremony concluded day two of the Clinton Global Initiative’s fourth Annual Meeting, which convenes world leaders from government, the private sector, and NGOs to create lasting, positive change across the world.
“The Global Citizen Awards are about honoring and inspiring service to humanity” President Clinton said. “Our award recipients were chosen from a pool of remarkable candidates. Their innovation, dedication and determination have changed lives, and their actions serve as models of what each of us can do to make a difference in the world.”
Award winners were nominated by a collection of global leaders and selected for their visionary leadership and sustainable, scalable work in solving pressing global challenges. Honorees were chosen from civil society, the private sector, the philanthropic community and public service.
The 2008 Clinton Global Award Winners are:
Jennifer and Peter Buffett
Co-chairs, NoVo Foundation
The Buffetts have led an inspirational campaign to improve the status of women and girls across the globe. Their innovative approach to philanthropy has leveraged the capacity of existing organizations to affect real, positive change. Among various targeted investments, the NoVo Foundation has pledged US$30 million over five years to help rebuild the education systems and address violence against women and girls in post-conflict West Africa. Their fresh approach to fostering sustainable change has catalyzed action in the donor community world wide.
Xiaoyi (Sheri) Liao
Founder and President, Global Village of Beijing
Sheri Liao has become one of China’s best-known environmental activists for her pioneering work over the last decade, including the establishment of an environmental program on Chinese public television, cooperating with the Xuan Wu municipal government to found the first Green Community in China and, most recently, was an environmental adviser to the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
Julio Frenk
Senior Fellow, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
President, Carso Health Institute
Julio Frenk has changed the way practitioners and policy makers across the world think about health. As result of Frenk’s work as minister of health of Mexico, Mexican health insurance is expanding access to quality care for almost 50 million Mexicans. Frenk will assume the position as the new dean of the Harvard School of Public Heath in 2009. His ongoing work continues to deliver a greater focus on evidence-based decision making with life-saving results.
Neville Isdell
Chairman of the Board, the Coca-Cola Company
Neville Isdell is one of the most articulate advocates for social action in the business community. Under his leadership, Coco-Cola has built partnerships that support more than 120 community water projects in over 50 countries and his advocacy of the private sector’s leadership role in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa, has further verified the capacity of the business sector to strengthen and improve the communities it serves.
Part of the fourth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, this special ceremony was hosted by CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Youssou Ndour and his band Le Super Etoile de Dakar performed at the ceremony, as well as singer/songwriter James Taylor. Clinton Global Citizen Award statues were designed and sculpted by Mozambican artist Gonçalo Mabunda.
To date, Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) members have made nearly 1,000 commitments valued at upwards of $30 billion to improve the lives of more than 200 million people in over 150 countries. CGI University (CGI U) and MyCommitment.org have also inspired action on a large scale.
The CGI community is helping to:
- Avoid or reduce more than 40 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions
- Supply more than 4 million people with access to clean-energy services in the developing world
- Fund more than 270 microfinance institutions, permitting access to finance for close to 3 million microentrepreneurs
- Provide more than 8 million children with access to schooling
- Increase access to health services or improve quality of care for over 11 million people
- Target 34 million people for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases
- Provide interventions addressing malnutrition or under-nutrition for over 42 million children
Further information about the Clinton Global Initiative is available at www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
