Awards, Dec 11, 2003

The following awards have been presented for work in advocacy, fund raising, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and other areas.

Community development. The Open Society Institute (New York) has announced its 2003 fellows. Each fellow will receive $48,750 over 18 months to carry out projects to help disadvantaged neighborhoods in Baltimore and New York. The fellows in Baltimore:

— Samuel Epps will work with the Maryland Justice Coalition and Justice Policy Institute to reduce the number of prison inmates by promoting treatment instead of incarceration and by reducing recidivism through programs for people who have been released from jail.

— Leon Faruq will help former prisoners make the transition back to community life, and will encourage the use of cognitive-development techniques to help ex-offenders make positive choices.

— Shawn James will establish Mural Masters, a mural-painting program to help youths develop business skills.

— Bridgett Muller will work with the Learning Bank of COIL to organize literacy programs for incarcerated and at-risk adults and their children.

— Dale Reid will work with the Baltimore City Board of Elections to ensure that people with disabilities have access to polling places, as required by the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

— Betty Robinson will create a network of social-justice advocates who will be encouraged to share resources and organizing techniques, and will study and document the history of social-justice organizing in Baltimore.

— Steven Rubin will work with Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma to offer photography instruction and art therapy to victims of torture.

— Mellissa Rudder will work with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill to develop a competition and traveling exhibit of masks created by people with mental illness.

— Ameriga Strache will establish On Site for English Construction, a program to teach English as a second language to Hispanic construction workers.

— Joseph Williams will establish Staying Connected, a program to strengthen the relationships between incarcerated women and their children.

The fellows in New York:

— Kat Aaron will establish Resources for Youth Seeking Economic Justice, a project to organize young activists to advocate policies that help low-income neighborhoods.

— Flor Bermudez will develop the Esperanza del Barrio Project to provide advocacy, organizing, and legal counsel for Latina street vendors and their families.

— Toni Blackman will establish the Artist Development Institute to help emerging female hip-hop artists become involved in progressive community activities.

— John Choe will create Stepping Stone, a project to organize local Korean immigrants to promote social justice and human rights.

— Dahlia Eissa will establish the Arab American Justice Project to provide legal services to protect the civil liberties of Arab-Americans.

— Bernadette Ellorin will create the Media 4 Truth & Justice Project to provide video documentation of Filipinos who have been negatively affected by xenophobia since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

— Deepa Fernandes will create Radio Rootz, a project to promote media literacy and debates about social issues among youths.

— Omar Freilla will develop the Green Worker Cooperatives to encourage worker-owned manufacturing businesses that use methods that do not harm the environment.

— Ana Melendez will coordinate the Step Up campaign to help low-income women receiving public assistance gain access to educational opportunities.

— Mark Winston-Griffith will produce Talking Democracy Media, a television series to stimulate public debate about critical social issues.

— Helena Wong will establish the Chinatown Defense Project, an organization led by low-income tenants fighting displacement.

Grass-roots leaders. The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (Winston-Salem, N.C.) has presented its 2003 Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards to honor North Carolina grass-roots leaders who have worked largely without recognition. Each award is accompanied by a $25,000 prize, of which $20,000 goes to an organization designated by the winner. The recipients, in their respective categories:

— Advocacy: Josie Ellis, of Dillsboro, who established a health-care program for Hispanic migrant workers in western North Carolina.

— Personal service: Mary E. Sidberry Mosely, who started the Family and Neighborhoods Institute of North Carolina (Wilmington), which offers mentoring programs to help children improve their academic performance.

— Race relations: Effley D. Howell Sr., who established the Thankful Heritage Foundation (Kernersville), which exhibits memorabilia detailing black history. Mr. Howell presents related educational programs at companies, religious organizations, and schools.

Humanities. The Grawemeyer Foundation at the U. of Louisville (Ky.) has announced the winners of the 2004 Grawemeyer Awards in four categories. Each award carries a $200,000 honorarium. The recipients:

— Ideas improving world order: John Braithwaite and Peter Drahos, both law professors at the Australian National U. (Canberra), for their book Global Business Regulation.

— Music composition: Unsuk Chin of Berlin, for her Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.

— Psychology: Aaron Beck, emeritus professor of psychiatry at the U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Philadelphia), for pioneering the field of cognitive therapy.

— Religion: Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth (London), for his book The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations. This award is presented jointly by the U. of Louisville and the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Philanthropy. The Sainsbury family of Britain and Kazuo Inamori of Japan have received 2003 Andrew Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy. The awards, presented by the 22 institutions established by Andrew Carnegie, recognize philanthropists who have done extraordinary work to “benefit the public good.” The Sainsbury family has established 19 philanthropic trusts supporting various causes, including the arts, education, and mental health. Mr. Inamori, a businessman, supports academic and cul-tural programs as well as international studies.

Poverty. The Robin Hood Foundation (New York) has presented its annual Robin Hood Heroes Awards, which honor individuals and organizations that work to alleviate poverty in New York City. Each recipient received $50,000 for the organization they represent. The awardees:

— Tuhina De O’Connor of the New York Asian Women’s Center, which helps immigrant women escape abusive relationships.

— Sister Paulette LoMonaco and Monica Thompson of Good Shepherd Services, which operates a residential foster-care program.

— Edmond Taylor of the HOPE Program, which offers employment training and placement services for people who have had a difficult time finding and keeping jobs.

In addition, Brother Joel Magallan of Asociación Tepeyac (New York) received the foundation’s September 11th Relief Fund Hero Award. The organization provided financial assistance to undocumented workers and their families who lost their lives or jobs as a result of the terrorist attacks.