MOST CARING PEOPLE IN AMERICA NAMED
Caring Institute Names 2005 National Caring Award Winners

Washington, DC – Val J. Halamandaris, Founder and Executive Director of the Caring Institute, announced the winners of the 2005 National Caring Awards.

Seven remarkable adults and five youths will be honored during the National Caring Awards ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on December 5, 2005 at the Dirksen U.S. Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

“On behalf of our Chairman, the Honorable Robert J. Dole and our board of trustees, it is a great honor for us to pay tribute to these extraordinary people who have used their lives for the betterment of others. They are wonderful role models and the very personification of caring,” said Halamandaris.

The Caring Institute’s mission is to promote the values of caring, integrity and public service. Mr. Halamandaris was inspired to found the Caring Institute by Mother Teresa of Calcutta at their first meeting in 1985. Mother Teresa suggested identifying exemplary individuals and holding them up as role models to be emulated by others.

The 2005 Annual Caring Award adult winners are:

• Sister Antonia Brenner – Nun, La Mesa State Penitentiary, Tijuana, Mexico
  Sister Antonia Brenner is known as a "prison angel," who brings comfort to those who are sentenced to what was once reputed to be one of the world’s most violent prisons. She first visited La Mesa State Penitentiary in 1965, when she was a prosperous Beverly Hills homemaker. What she saw moved her so deeply that she knew she had to return and began volunteering a few weeks at a time. During her visits, she started wearing the habit of a Catholic nun – in part for her commitment to the Church and in part for her own safety. She moved to the prison permanently in 1977 where her home since has been a 10’ by 10’ cell. She roams the prison compound unescorted, visiting with guards and prisoners alike. Many of the inmates have come to call her "mama," because she gives them unconditional love, provides for their basic needs and guards them against abuse. Her mission inspired others who joined her which resulted in the founding of a new religious order recognized by the Catholic Church. She has a ready response for the many people who question her decision to live among society's rejects. "Happiness does not depend on where you live," she tells them. "I live in a prison but I have a reason for my being."

• Alice Coles – Founder and Executive Director, Bayview Citizens for Social Justice, Bayview, Virginia
  Alice Coles, like Bayview's other residents, is a descendant of freed slaves. Like the generations of share croppers who preceded them, the residents of Bayview lived in dilapidated shacks, many without running water and plumbing. Although she came from humble beginnings, she was raised in a tradition rich in pride and commitment to her history and community. She and her neighbors were outraged in 1995 when the State of Virginia threatened to destroy their heritage by building a maximum security prison where their homes stood. While Coles has little education, she somehow found the strength to be her community’s conscience. Coles’s life proves that one person can make a difference. Coles, like Rosa Parks before her, said, “No!” She organized a national media campaign to protect and advance her community, called for support from the NAACP and founded Bayview Citizens for Social Justice. As a result, she was successful in defeating the state’s plan – but she didn’t rest there. The ensuing publicity brought in millions in contributions that allowed Bayview's citizens to buy land and erect new homes for all 57 families that lived in the community. Coles is now working on creating more jobs and opportunities for young people. She advises them, "Whatever it is that you find that you believe has showed divine purpose – go to it with all your might."

• Father Theodore Hesburgh – President Emeritus, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
  Father Theodore Hesburgh the most honored man in America holding the Guinness Book of Records for the most honorary degrees received, 150, and the nation’s highest civilian prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is an elder statesman of education and world-class activist. He looks on the world as his flock, and considers its problems his mission. As president of Notre Dame for 25 years, he revitalized the campus, admitted the first women, and defended racial integration. He brought this same progressive approach to his work on numerous, high-profile committees. He was a charter member and chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., served on Gerald Ford's Presidential Clemency Board for Vietnam offenders, and organized conferences among major nuclear powers. Father Hesburgh has been a confidant of U.S. Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to our current President, George W. Bush. He broke the world speed record at the age of 62 aboard an SR-71 called the Blackbird. He urges all people, whatever their age, to strive to help humanity. "There is no person on earth who doesn't have some good thing he or she can do today," says Father Hesburgh. "All that matters is that you're open to the good you can do for others, and you're able to say 'Come Holy Spirit,' which means you're saying, 'make me an instrument of your peace.'"

• Alfredo J. Molina – Humanitarian, Phoenix, Arizona
  Alfredo Molina, the son of Cuban immigrants, believes you must live a life of intention. He came to the U.S. from Cuba with only a few pesos in his pocket. His hard work, approach to life, and divine providence have made him into one of the most respected and successful entrepreneurial philanthropists in the U.S. Molina started with a small jewelry stand which has grown into the most renowned and recognized jewelry store in the southwest. Serving the community is a family value for Molina. He learned early in both business and life that the more he gave away, the more that came back to him. He and his wife, Lisa, give away millions of dollars each year, support 167 charitable organizations both locally and nationally and have a particular commitment to homeless children. His family’s tradition of exquisite craftsmanship can be traced back to the Renaissance where they crafted jewelry for nobility. Molina builds his life on the concept of nobility, which defines someone who is charitable. By giving so completely of his time, money, intellect and passion, he raises the standard for all philanthropists. Molina embodies his philosophy completely, "I was put on earth to do great things, but it's not about doing great things for me; it's about doing great things for others."

• Genny Nelson – Founder, Sisters of the Road, Portland, Oregon
  Genny Nelson has created a warm and welcoming safe haven for the homeless where they come to be uplifted, nurtured, cared for and fed. Since opening its doors in 1979, her Sisters of the Road café has answered the calls of the homeless for a place at society's table. From beginning her career as a social worker in the roughest parts of Portland to risking everything to create a refuge for the homeless, Nelson never has shied away from any situation to help others. By listening to the homeless and involving them in her work, she succeeded in creating a place for the homeless that not only nourished them, but gave them the skills to become self-sufficient and helped re-build their self-esteem and respect. Besides dishing out more than 300 warm meals a day, Sisters provides job training, employment and support groups. It gives the homeless back their dignity by allowing them to work for credits that buy their meals. It was the first homeless shelter and café in the nation to accept food stamps. The goal behind all of Nelson's work at Sisters is to provide a support system that will help the homeless reenter the mainstream. The caring community that Nelson has built at Sisters is open to people of all colors, classes and creeds because Nelson believes, "If we sit down and break bread together, we can find out how much alike we are."

• Dr. Gloria WilderBrathwaite, M.D. – Vice President, The Children’s Health Fund’s Mobile Medical Project, New York, New York
  From her humble beginnings, Dr. Gloria WilderBrathwaite was driven to help others. While working her way through medical school, she was introduced to the Children’s Health Fund’s (CHF) Mobile Medical Project established and funded by entertainer Paul Simon. The Mobile Medical Project was intended to take health care into the most dangerous inner cities in the country – many times at the risk of the caregivers. She was the first physician to staff such a project and her efforts and dedication over the past 12 years helped ignite the program. One day when she was administering to patients in her van, a young man was shot nearby. Her epiphany came when she realized that the neighborhood was so accustomed to violence that the nearby children who witnessed the gory incident were not even distracted from their games. Since then, she has spoken around the country about the impact of growing up in a violence-ridden community, where people lack the core basics of a quality education, living wage and reasonable health care. In addition to providing care, she is tireless crusader for underprivileged children. She lives a life of determination saying, “My definition of happiness is ‘Get over it.’ I think too many people spend too much of their life worrying about nothing and not focusing on the bigger things in life.“

• Mary Ann Wright – Founder, The Mary Ann Wright Foundation, Oakland, California
  Mother Wright believes she heard the voice of God one night in 1980 commanding her to "feed the hungry." Then, at 63 years of age, she responded taking her monthly Social Security check of $236 and using it to purchase Thanksgiving dinner for 300 homeless people. For the next two years, she continued to use her Social Security allotment to feed the poor and hungry. Seeing her passion, local merchants began to chip in, and by 1984, she had attracted enough donations to start her own foundation. Today, the Mary Ann Wright Foundation has an annual budget of $137,000 and feeds 450 families a day. Mother Wright’s passion knows no boarders. She has donated food to the needy throughout the world in countries such as Russia, Kenya, and Vietnam. “I am glad I answered the call,” she says. “It is the joy of my life to be able to help someone if only a little bit.”

Young Adult Winners

• Kyle Amber – Age 16, Founder, The Kids That Care Pediatric and Cancer Fund, www.kidsthatcare.net, Pinecrest, FL
  Kyle Amber was only six when his older brother, Ian, was diagnosed with leukemia. Kyle's visits to his brother at Jackson Memorial Hospital sensitized him to the plight of children with cancer, and he decided to help them by founding Kids that Care. At the age of 10, he founded The Kids That Care Pediatric and Cancer Fund which supplies hospital waiting rooms with toys and an "ouch box" that rewards young patients after painful treatments, and leads fundraising activities that has led to over $100,000 in donations. Kyle's organization also grants the wishes of terminally ill children through its "Dream a Little Contest." Kyle believes that "happiness is the ability to take any event and treat it positively," and he's trying to give kids with cancer the help they need to feel the same way.

• May Lan Dong – Age 18, Founder, Operation West Africa, Cambridge, MA
  May Lan Dong returned from her first visit, at age five, to the West African nation of Guinea with poignant memories of the country's enormously kind but extremely disadvantaged people. Stirred by their dilemma, she founded "Operation West Africa" to expand their educational opportunities. Her organization has raised $50,000, which went to construct housing for female students and to provide sewing machines and materials that would help orphaned girls learn a job skill. She is now trying to raise another $10,000 to buy much-needed math and science text books for a Guinean high school and planning future projects in AIDS/HIV education. Thinking about all the needy people in Guinea inspires her to do even more, “We should be doing everything we can to help Guinea’s people, who are both so kind and so misfortunate.”

• Jacob Komar – Age 13, Founder, Computers for Communities, www.computers4communities.org, Burlington, CT
  Jacob Komar has helped bridge the digital divide for over 1,000 families. He realized that while there were many children who needed computers, hundreds were being thrown away by those who didn’t have the time or knowledge to fix them. He started Computers for Communities to rebuild old computers and give them to needy families and even teach families how to use them. Jacob started out at the age of 9 by doing all the work himself, but his operation has expanded since then. He has also created training manuals and support materials for groups in other states, and he has involved classmates at his school by teaching them how to rebuild computers. His efforts have benefited both ends of the spectrum as both young people and seniors have joined the information age thanks to Jacob. He vows to continue his work until he fulfills his dream to "educate the world through computers." He says his simple but powerful plan for putting a computer in every home is destined to succeed because “you don’t need to have a genius IQ to set this all up, just the will to do it.”

• Greg Sweeney – Age 18, Founder, Cub Scout Pack 506, Wilmington, DE
  Greg Sweeney knows that homeless kids aren't so different from regular kids, though they live in a world where crime and violence are a normal part of life. Five years ago, he organized Cub Scout Pack 506 for homeless boys so he could "give them stuff they don't normally have that will let them be even more like ordinary kids." Greg had his work cut out for him—organizing events, raising funds, and arranging meetings for boys who constantly moved between shelters—but he didn't give up. Due to his persistence, homeless Wilmington boys enjoy summer camp, concerts and basketball games. Even more important, Cub Scout Pack 506 gives them a stable set of friends and a supportive environment to help them succeed in life.

• Aishlinn O’Connor – Age 16, Founder, Kids Helping Kids, Prairie Village, KS
  Aishlinn O'Connor's mother taught her to connect with others, and she's been doing it since she was nine. When she realized she was too young to volunteer, she organized her own volunteer group, Kids Helping Kids, to bring happiness to disadvantaged children. Since its inception, Aishlinn's organization has progressed from distributing crayons in children's hospitals to collecting baby supplies for migrant workers and sending food to hurricane victims. More recently, it organized intergenerational programs that bring teens and seniors together. Aishlinn knows that "life is an adventure, and we all have our version of it." As a fervent proponent of civil rights, she also urges us to accept our differences because "it will not only make your journey more successful, it will also help others."

The Caring Institute, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was founded in 1985 by Val J. Halamandaris. The Institute operates the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans, located in the first Washington, DC home (now a museum), of the human rights advocate, Frederick Douglass. Caring Award winners are inducted into the Hall of Fame, located three blocks east of the U.S. Capitol, at 320 A Street, NE, Washington, DC.

For more information, please contact Julie Fry at (202) 547-7424.