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WORLD OF CHILDREN
ANNOUNCES 2017 HONOREES
Five Child
Advocates to be Recognized for Heroic Work with Children at
Annual
Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 2 in New York City
Cindi
Leive and Ann O’Malley to be Honored with World of Children
Board of Governors’ Awards
NEW YORK, NY – World
of Children®, a global recognition and funding organization
for individuals exclusively serving the needs of vulnerable
children, announced today its 2017 Honorees – an
extraordinary group of real-life heroes who have
dramatically improved the lives of children around the
world. This year’s recipients have each lead high-impact
programs in health, education, protection, humanitarianism,
and more. World of Children, celebrating its 20th
anniversary, will honor the recipients at the annual World
of Children Awards 2017 on
Thursday, November 2 at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
“20 years ago, we knew that some of the
bravest and most courageous people around the world were
going unnoticed, and this organization was created to change
just that,” said World of Children Co-Founder Harry
Leibowitz. “Today, we have the privilege of not only sharing
these life-changing stories, but supporting the heroic
efforts of our Honorees with funds raised by our generous
donors. One little hand by one little hand, and one little
heart by one little heart, we will continue to unlock the
future for children around the world. We are incredibly
hopeful for the future and cannot wait to see what the next
20 years has in store.”
The evening will also honor Cindi
Leive (Editor-in-Chief, Glamour) and Ann
O’Malley (World of Children Board Member) with the World
of Children Board of Governors’ Award for their unwavering
dedication to the organization and elevating awareness for
child advocates. Lily
Aldridge Followill (Internationally renowned model,
World of Children Ambassador), Stephanie
March (Actress, World of Children Board Member), and Caryl
Stern (President of U.S. Fund for UNICEF) will speak at
the Awards Ceremony. Alina
Cho (Editor at Large, Ballantine Bantam Dell, World of
Children Advisory Council Member) will host the event as
Master of Ceremonies.
World of Children receives thousands of
nominations from around the world ever year and uses a
uniquely rigorous vetting process to select Honorees,
including an on-site investigation and independent audit of
each finalist. Recognized as the “Nobel Prize for Child
Advocates,” Honorees will receive a grant to help their
program grow and ultimately impact the lives of even more
children.
This year’s Honorees include:
-
2017 World of
Children Education Honoree: Maureen Rover, founder
of The
Reading Team,
is boosting elementary school literacy rates by
instilling a lifelong love and enthusiasm for reading in
children from New York’s disadvantaged communities.
Since its inception, The Reading Team has grown from
teaching 70 students in 2000 to over 700 today.
-
2017 World of
Children Health Honoree: Dr. Üstün Ezer, founder
of LOSEV,
is increasing the survival rate of children with
leukemia by pioneering an innovative medical, financial,
and educational support system in Turkey. LOSEV provides
children with leukemia and chronic blood disorders
access to free, life-saving treatment and a strong,
holistic support system. Before LOSEV was founded, only
22% of children with leukemia survived. Now, about 92%
of children survive.
-
2017 World of
Children Humanitarian Honoree: Winnie Barron,
founder of the Makindu
Children’s Program,
is breaking the cycle of poverty through a
community-based approach to the care, education, and
empowerment for the most vulnerable children in Makindu
– a rural region of eastern Kenya. The Makindu
Children’s Program supports Makindu Children’s Centre (MCC),
a day resource facility that provides high-protein
meals, education, income generating projects, and
treatment for HIV and AIDS, in addition to placing
children in guardian homes whenever possible to provide
a safe and healthy environment to grow up in.
-
2017 World of Children
Protection Honoree:
Jackie Branfield, founder
of Operation
Bobbi Bear,
is rebuilding the justice system for children in South
Africa who have been abused so they can gain access to
treatment, recovery, and care. Operation Bobbi Bear acts
as a filter between police and children who have been
assaulted. Children who report abuse are taken to a
safe, comfortable place, rather than an intimidating
environment, where they are given a bear on which to
draw. The organization’s goal is to make coming to the
authorities easier for children so they are more likely
report abuse within 24 hours and be treated for HIV.
-
2017 World of
Children Youth Honoree: Teagan Stedman, founder
of Shred
Kids’ Cancer,
is developing a new market for pediatric cancer research
by fusing the power of music and the unstoppable energy
of young people, showing children diagnosed with cancer
that other youth are fighting the disease alongside
them. At just 18 years old—using the funds raised
through Shred Kids’ Cancer—he has created a new drug
delivery system for pediatric cancer that is currently
in clinical trials. In partnership with the Jefferson
Awards Foundation, Teagan will also become a 2017
GlobeChanger in the GlobeChangers program, an incubator
for young social entrepreneurs that provides mentorship,
training, and a support network for the country’s most
promising leaders ages 5-25.
The event’s Honorary Chairs include Andy
Adler; Lily Aldridge Followill and Caleb Followill; Frances
and Francis Fraenkel; Beth and Jim Gold; Maggi and Matthew
Goldstein; Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman; Lauren Bush
Lauren and David Lauren; Stephanie March and Dan Benton;
Sandy Sholl and Lionel Mendoza. World of Children is led by
Co-Founders Harry Leibowitz and Kay Isaacson-Leibowitz,
retired senior executives from Procter & Gamble and
Victoria’s Secret respectively.
About
World of Children
World of Children unlocks the future for
vulnerable children by funding and elevating the most
effective changemakers for children worldwide. Since 1998,
the Foundation has dedicated more than $11.5 million in
grants to programs for children, led by more than 100
Honorees working in over 50 countries. World of Children is
the only global recognition and funding program that
exclusively focuses on a broad range of children’s issues
including health, education, safety and human rights.
World of Children has been featured in The
New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington
Post, People, Town & Country, and Harper’s Bazaar. World
of Children Honorees have also been featured by CNN, The
Ellen DeGeneres Show, Fast Company, Glamour, TEEN Vogue,
TIME for Kids, and USA Today, among other
national and international media. The Huffington Post named
Co-Founders Harry Leibowitz and Kay Isaacson-Leibowitz one
of the most inspiring “power couples” in the country for
their lifetime commitment to improving the lives of
vulnerable children around the world.
For more
information, visit worldofchildren.org or
join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About
the Jefferson Awards Foundation
The Jefferson Awards
Foundation (JAF) powers others to have maximum impact on the
things they care about most. Through celebration, they
inspire action. With programs and partnerships, they drive
Americans to change their communities and the world. To
learn more about the Jefferson Awards Foundation, visit: JeffersonAwards.org or
engage with their community on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat,
and Facebook. |