Awards, Dec 13, 2007

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

International. The Center for Public Leadership at Harvard U.’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (Cambridge, Mass.) has presented the 2007 Gleitsman International Activist Award to Sakena Yacoobi, founder and executive director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (Dearborn, Mich.). The organization trains Afghan women to become teachers, supports education, and provides health education for women and children. The award is given every two years and carries a $100,000 cash prize.

Violence prevention. The California Wellness Foundation (Woodland Hills) has awarded its 2007 California Peace Prize to three violence-prevention leaders and advocates. The recipients, who each received a $25,000 cash prize:

— Casey Gwinn, chief executive officer of the YWCA of San Diego County, who founded the San Diego Family Justice Center to assist victims of domestic violence in seeking the help they need from city and county departments.

— Patricia Lee, managing attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender’s juvenile office and co-director of the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (San Francisco), which seeks to improve the quality of legal representation for juvenile offenders.

— Cora Tomalinas, a former nurse who now volunteers with the San Jose Police Department and other groups that fight gang violence and provide educational programs for youths.

Volunteers. The McKnight Foundation (Minneapolis) has announced the recipients of its 2007 Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service, which recognize Minnesota residents who volunteer their time and expertise to improve the lives of people in their communities. The winners — each of whom received $7,500 — are: Ada Beh (Brooklyn Park), Johanna Christianson (Pelican Rapids), Virginia Clark (Minneapolis), Charlnitta Ellis (Minneapolis), Bernice Cowl Gordon (St. Louis Park), Rachel Kincade (Duluth), Darcy Knight (Minneapolis), Barbara Lewis (Minneapolis), Mary F. Nelson (Northfield), and Mark Ochu (St. Cloud).