Awards, Dec 17, 1998

The following awards have been presented for work in philanthropy, fund raising, volunteerism, and non-profit management:

Arts. President Clinton has announced 12 recipients of the 1998 National Medal of Arts, including Jacques d’Amboise, a dancer and choreographer and founder of the National Dance Institute (New York); Barbara Handman of New York, a leading arts advocate and defender of freedom of expression; the Sara Lee Corporation (Chicago), which has supported hundreds of arts organizations over the past 26 years; and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago).

Associations. The American Society of Association Executives (Washington) has announced the recipients of its 1998 Keystone Awards for Excellence in Membership, which recognize innovative membership campaigns in several categories. The winners:

— Best direct-response membership-recruitment campaign: Divers Alert Network (Durham, N.C.).

— Best member-get-a-member recruitment campaign: Association of Operating Room Nurses (Denver).

— Best membership exhibit: National Restaurant Association (Washington).

— Best membership retention and member service: Retailers Bakery Association (Laurel, Md.).

— Best non-dues revenue program: National Association of Manufacturers (Washington).

— Best technology application: College of American Pathologists (Northfield, Ill.).

Community service. The McKnight Foundation (Minneapolis) has presented its 1998 Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service to 10 Minnesota volunteers. Each award carries a $7,500 prize. The recipients:

— Christine Barich of St. Paul, a university student who helped write a book about foster care that is widely used by youth and social-services professionals and who advocates in behalf of teen-agers in homeless shelters and foster care.

— Dawn Glaser-Falk of Princeton, who created PAWS for People, an organization that trains abandoned dogs to serve as companions and service dogs for disabled people.

— Joe Huber of St. Paul, a psychologist who provides volunteer mental-health services at the Walk-In Counseling Center in Minneapolis.

— Michael Kirk of Duluth, a part-time employee and volunteer at the CHUM Emergency Food Shelf, where he organizes food donations, maintains the facility, and supervises other volunteers.

— Kevin L. Perez Rodriguez of South St. Paul, who devotes 30 or more hours each week to helping Hispanic and Latino families with disabled children.

— Edwin Reich of St. Cloud, a retired plumber who helps renovate low-cost homes through the local Habitat for Humanity and who has helped to remodel and preserve other properties.

— Scott Schlaffman of Minneapolis, the volunteer executive director of the Aliveness Project, which provides services for people with HIV and AIDS.

— Choua (Mindy) Thao of St. Paul, a Hmong woman who, while raising five children alone, helps link Hmong residents with needed services, including through her work at the Neighborhood House and the Ramsey County Family Support Project.

— Georgeanna Toftum of Bemidji, who coordinates the local chapter of the Special Olympics — serving as a chaperone, coach, and mentor to disabled athletes of all ages — and who volunteers with local Girl Scouts troops.

— Clorasteen Wilson of Minneapolis, a retired extension-service worker who helps low-income families learn about nutrition, food preparation, and budgeting.

Elderly. The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (Washington) has presented the following awards for 1998:

— The Award of Honor: Ronald B. Stuckey, president and chief executive officer of Wartburg Lutheran Services (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

— The Distinguished Service Award: Martha Richards, a consultant on aging and affiliate assistant professor of social work at the U. of Washington (Seattle), and Darlene Yee, director and professor of gerontology at San Francisco State U.

— The Meritorious Service Award: Betty J. Hayes, executive director of the Presbyterian Home of High Point (N.C.); Mary Ann Kehoe, chief executive officer of Good Shepherd Services (Seymour, Wis.); and Sue Schock Roderick, vice-president of administration at American Baptist Homes of the West (Oakland, Cal.).

— The Trustee of the Year Award: Henry H. Gibbel, chairman of the board at Brethren Village (Lancaster, Pa.); Valerie S. Loring, vice-president of the Board of Directors at Salem Community Corporation/Briarwood CCRC (Worchester, Mass.); Rodney J. Paquette, chairman of the board at Friendship Village of Schaumburg (Ill.); and Lieut. Gen. George E. Schafer, chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Air Force Village Foundation (San Antonio).

— The Community Service Award: Ingleside Homes (Wilmington, Del.) for the CareVan, a mobile office that provides services to at-risk elderly people, and Rockwood Retirement Community (Spokane, Wash.) for its work to save the Carlyle, an old hotel that houses 100 people who would otherwise be homeless.

— Community Service for Youth at Risk Award: Angelus Plaza (Los Angeles) and Rogue Valley Manor Community Services/Pacific Retirement Services (Medford, Ore.).

— Excellence in Practice Award: Asbury Care Center at the Methodist Home (Charlotte, N.C.), Montefiore (Beachwood, Ohio), and Mount Joseph Senior Community (Concordia, Kan.).

— The Hobart Jackson Social Responsibility Award: American Baptist Homes of the West (Oakland, Cal.).

— The Innovation of the Year Award: Cedar Campuses (West Bend, Ind.), for the “LearnFest” program to make state and federally mandated employee education fun and accessible; Frances Schervier Home and Hospital (Bronx, N.Y.), for the “Love Connection” program, which uses cordless telephones to link certain nursing-home residents with their families and friends; and the Washington House (Alexandria, Va.), for the “H.A.H.A. Project,” which promotes healthy attitudes among employees and residents.

— Excellence in Media Award: Michael Vitez and Charles Fox of The Philadelphia Inquirer, for a series of articles and photographs on aging and nursing-home residents, and The Abilene Reporter News (Tex.), for a series on Alzheimer’s disease.

— The A.A.H.S.A.-National Organization on Disability Award: Courage Residence (Golden Valley, Minn.), for its various rehabilitation services for young adults with severe disabilities.

Food and hunger. The World Food Prize Foundation (Des Moines) has presented its 1998 World Food Prize, which honors people who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, and availability of food worldwide. The award, which carries a $250,000 prize, went to B. R. Barwale, founder and chairman of the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company, for his work in developing the role of private enterprise in India’s agricultural sector.

Non-profit leadership. The Sara Lee Foundation (Chicago) has presented its 1998 Leadership Awards, which honor non-profit groups that demonstrate creative and exemplary leadership in improving life for disadvantaged people in communities where divisions of the Sara Lee Corporation maintain facilities. The winners are Bread & Roses (Norwalk, Conn.), Children’s Hope Foundation (New York), and Voices for Children Foundation (Miami). Each organization received a $25,000 grant.

Public service. The Advertising Council (New York) has presented its 1998 Public Service Award to John E. Pepper, chairman and chief executive officer of the Procter & Gamble Company (Cincinnati), for his commitment to community service and volunteerism.

Violence prevention. The California Wellness Foundation (Woodland Hills) has presented its 1998 Peace Prize Awards to three community leaders involved in violence prevention. The winners: Barbara Aragon, a professor of social work and director of training at the American Indian Training Institute (Sacramento, Cal.); Carol Dela Torre, who founded Genesis (Fresno, Cal.), which shelters more than 300 troubled youths annually, with her mother and sister in 1986; and Beckie Masaki, co-founder and executive director of the Asian Women’s Shelter (San Francisco). Each award carries a $25,000 grant.