Awards, May 31, 2007

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

Arts. The Herb Alpert Foundation (Los Angeles) has announced the recipients of its 2007 Alpert Award in the Arts, which recognizes achievement by artists in five fields. Each honoree has received a $75,000 unrestricted cash prize. The winners:

— Dance. Jeanine Durning, a choreographer and performer whose work has included a dance performed inside a truck parked by a theater.

— Film and video arts. Jacqueline Goss, an experimental video producer and new-media artist whose videos use animation and documentary-filmmaking techniques.

— Music. Mark Feldman, a composer and violinist whose music blends classical works with jazz-influenced improvisation.

— Theater. Cynthia Hopkins, a musician and performance artist who often assumes alter egos during stage productions.

— Visual arts. Walid Raad, a mixed-media artist whose work combines performance, photography, and video.

Community service. The Russell Berrie Foundation (Teaneck, N.J.) has presented its 2007 Russ Berrie Awards for Making a Difference, which honors New Jersey residents for their community service. George Brewer, of Wayne, N.J., received the $50,000 cash prize for his work as a host parent and trip administrator for Healing the Children (Spokane, Wash.); he and his wife provide housing and support for children who travel to the United States for medical treatment. Dana Katzman-Spett, founder of Pony Power Therapies (Mahwah, N.J.), received a $35,000 cash prize for her work teaching disabled children and adults how to ride horses. Finally, Jamie Lauren Cohen, a student at the University of Michigan and founder of the Roseville Project, which provides holiday programs for needy children in Newark, N.J., has received a $25,000 cash prize for that effort and for saving two children from drowning during her holiday break last December.

Marketing. The Cause Marketing Forum (Rye, N.Y.) has presented its 2007 Golden Halo Awards to Whirlpool (Benton Harbor, Mich.) and First Book (Washington), in recognition of their outstanding cause-marketing efforts. Whirlpool was honored for its successful collaborations with Habitat for Humanity International and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and First Book was recognized for promoting literacy among needy children through corporate partnerships, such as securing donations of 5,000 books from Random House for every television news anchor the charity was able to convince to wear striped stovepipe hats in honor of Universal Studios’ release of the motion picture The Cat in the Hat. In addition, the Cause Marketing Forum gave awards in several categories to honor campaigns, events, and publications through which companies, often in collaboration with nonprofit groups, carried out public-service activities. The award categories and the winning companies or products, their nonprofit partners, and their projects are listed below.

Best campaign to generate donations through consumer purchases:

— Bon-Ton Stores (York, Pa.) and Goodwill Industries International (Rockville, Md.) for the Goodwill Sale

— Silver: Target (Minneapolis) and the American Red Cross (Washington) for the Target/Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Kit

Best health campaign:

— Gold: Procter & Gamble’s Pantene Pro-V (Cincinnati), Entertainment Industry Foundation (Los Angeles), and the American Cancer Society (Atlanta) for Beautiful Lengths

— Silver: Gold’s Gym International (Irving, Tex.) and the American Diabetes Association (Alexandria, Va.) for Cure, Care, Commitment

Best environmental or wildlife campaign:

— Gold: Pedigree (Hackettstown, N.J.) and various animal shelters for the Pedigree Adoption Drive

— Silver: Sam’s Club (Bentonville, Ark.), Aquafina (Purchase, N.Y.), and Keep America Beautiful (Stamford, Conn.) for Return the Warmth

Best social-service or education campaign:

— Gold: Scholastic Book Clubs (New York), First Book (Washington), Hello Friend (Madison, Wis.), Reach Out and Read (Boston), and Save the Children (Westport, Conn.) for ClassroomsCare

— Silver: Fireman’s Fund Insurance (Novato, Calif.) and local fire departments for Fireman’s Fund Heritage

Best cause-marketing event:

— Gold: Boost Mobile (Irvine, Calif.) and RockCorps (New York) for Boost Mobile RockCorps

— Silver: Frito-Lay (Plano, Tex.) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Dallas) for SunChips Hope Shines On

Best joint-message promotion:

— Gold: Pearson Foundation (Mill Valley, Calif.) and Jumpstart (Boston) for Jumpstart Read for the Record

— Silver: Volvo Cars of North America (Rockleigh, N.J.) and nonprofit honorees for the Volvo for Life Awards

Best print materials:

— Gold: Target (Minneapolis) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis) for Thanks & Giving 2006

— Silver: Pedigree (Hackettstown, N.J.) and various animal shelters for the Pedigree Adoption Drive

Best integration of national and local programs:

— Gold: Colgate-Palmolive (New York) and Reading Is Fundamental (Washington) for Healthy Bedtime Habits for a Lifetime

— Silver: Hollywood Entertainment (Wilsonville, Ore.) and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation (Los Angeles) for Community Spotlight: Starlight Starbright

Public service. Independent Sector (Washington) has given its 2007 John W. Gardner Leadership Award to Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation (New York). Ms. Berresford was honored for her work over the past 37 years to build leadership among disadvantaged people and strengthen institutions that advance civil society. The award, which will be presented at Independent Sector’s conference in October, is accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize.