Awards, Mar 26, 1998

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

AIDS. The American Foundation for AIDS Research (New York) has presented the following four awards:

— The Award of Distinction for Leadership in Corporate Philanthropy went to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (New York), for its support of AMFAR’s clinical-research, treatment-information, and medical-education programs.

— The Award of Distinction for Leadership in AIDS Research and Policy went to William E. Paul, outgoing director of the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md.).

— The Award of Distinction for Leadership in Philanthropy went to Marlene Meyerson, a Dallas philanthropist who chaired two concerts that raised nearly $2-million for AMFAR, and to Gift of Life, a fund-raising organization for AIDS causes that represents the fashion-accessories, home-furnishings, and related industries.

Corporate leadership. President Clinton has named the recipients of the Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership, a new Presidential award sponsored by the Conference Board (New York) that recognizes companies for outstanding achievements in employee and community relations. The IBM Corporation (Armonk, N.Y.) was honored for its employee and community-based programs to promote diversity, and Levi Strauss & Company (San Francisco) was honored for its Project Change, which works to identify and end institutional racism and ease racial tensions in Albuquerque, N.M.; El Paso; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Valdosta, Ga. Special mentions went to the following organizations: Bright Horizons Children’s Centers (Cambridge, Mass.) for the “Horizons Initiative” homeless shelter; Lancaster Laboratories (Lancaster, Pa.) for its Family Center, which provides intergenerational programs; and the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (Newark, N.J.) for its “Making Neighborhoods Work” community-development program in Newark.

Food and hunger. The World Food Prize Foundation (Des Moines) has presented its 1997 World Food Prize, which honors people who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, and availability of food worldwide. The prize was shared by Perry L. Adkisson, professor and chancellor emeritus at Texas A&M U. (College Station), and Ray F. Smith, professor emeritus of entomology at the U. of California at Berkeley, for their work to develop and adopt new approaches to agricultural pest control that have reduced the use of dangerous pesticides while maintaining or increasing crop yields. The two men will share a $250,000 prize.

Fund raising. The National Society of Fund Raising Executives (Alexandria, Va.) has presented its 1998 Awards for Philanthropy. The recipients:

— Outstanding Philanthropist: Stephen C. and Tomisue S. Hilbert, for their contributions to Indianapolis-area organizations, including a $10-million gift to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

— Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raiser: Ken Wagnon, for his fund-raising work with various organizations, including his alma mater, the University of Kansas, where he led the special-gifts division of its $265-million capital campaign.

— Outstanding Corporation: Hallmark Cards and the Hallmark Corporate Foundation (Kansas City, Mo.), for their work to create the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance, and for their overall emphasis on corporate social responsibility in the Kansas City area.

— Outstanding Foundation: the El Pomar Foundation (Colorado Springs), which has given more than $200-million to Colorado non-profit groups since it was created by the Colorado entrepreneur and philanthropist Spencer Penrose in 1937.

— Outstanding Fund-Raising Executive: Barbara Levy, for her long-time fund-raising work, including her current position as director of the Arizona Children’s Home Foundation (Tucson).

NSFRE presented its 1998 Staley/Robeson/Ryan/St. Lawrence Prize for Research to Kathleen S. Kelly for her book Effective Fund-Raising Management. The award carries a $2,500 cash prize. Honorable mention went to Dean R. Hoge, Charles Zech, Patrick McNamara, and Michael J. Donahue for their book, Money Matters: Personal Giving in American Churches.

Health. Grantmakers in Health (Washington) has presented its Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy to Mary Campuzano, vice-president for programs at the Kansas Health Foundation (Wichita). The award, which carries a $5,000 prize, is presented for innovative and creative grant making and leadership in health care and services.

Humanitarianism. The Jackie Robinson Foundation (New York) has given its 1998 “Robie” Award for Humanitarianism to Andrew Young, the civil-rights activist and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.