Frequently Asked Questions About the Caring Awards

What is the purpose of the Caring Awards?

The awards are meant to “do something” about America’s “poverty of spirit.” This was the mission that Mother Teresa gave our founder Val J. Halamandaris when they met in 1985. As he searched for a way to respond, he remembered Albert Schweitzer’s conviction that “when it comes to education, example is not just a factor; it is the only factor that matters.” So Halamandaris began looking for people who selflessly cared for others and could serve as role models for our country. “A nation is what it honors,” Halamandaris says as he recalls his meeting with the great modern-day saint. “Mother Teresa understood that caring is the one-word distillation of the golden rule. She helped me recognize that America has a high stake in identifying and honoring individuals who are preeminent in this value.” And hundreds of them have received recognition since we gave the first Caring Awards in 1988.

What is the nomination process for the Caring Awards?

Anyone can visit our website and nominate a candidate. In addition, we seek suggestions from sources far and wide: newspapers, TV stations, governors, and Congress, as well as business and community leaders. The enthusiastic response to our search – amounting to many thousand nominations – shows how much people care about our quest to find living examples of the difference caring makes.

How do we determine the winners?

Each year, our staff and volunteer conduct in-depth research to narrow the pool of nominees. We also travel the country to speak with them and gain first-hand knowledge of their work. By the time we write ballots for the semi-finalists, we have a firm grasp of their achievements. So do our trustees and past Caring Award winners, once they’ve read the ballots. And they’re the ones who vote for the winners of our very special award.

What criteria are used in the voting process?

Many objective and subjective factors play a role, but our voters focus on some key considerations and questions:

• Depth of Commitment: How clearly does the candidate’s life express society’s highest values? To what extent has the candidate transcended hardship, illness, or disability in order to serve others? Has the candidate contributed personal time and advice, as well as their own resources?

• Innovation: Has the candidate created a new organization, launched a new project, or taken an existing endeavor to new heights?

• Leadership: Would you consider the candidate to be a great role model? Has the candidate shown superior leadership qualities by inspiring others to work together?

• Promotion of the Caring Institute’s Core Values: How much has the candidate changed society – especially in the long term – by fostering caring, integrity, and public service?

Who are some past recipients of the Caring Award?

Past recipients include:

• Former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, for their decades of public service here and abroad;
• Dr. Jack McConnell, for giving free care to the poor through his Volunteers in Medicine, an organization of retired medical workers that has been replicated in cities nationwide;
• Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for underprivileged people throughout the world;
• Mary Jo Copeland, founder and driving force behind Sharing and Caring Hands, an organization that provides a broad spectrum of services to the poor;
• Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain, for his support of numerous children’s charities, and his tireless efforts to promote adoption;
• Catherine Sneed, founder of the Garden Project, which teaches prisoners to grow food for the poor;
• Mimi Silbert, founder and Director of Delancey Street, a restaurant and moving company that employs and rehabilitates criminal offenders;
• Tom Chappell, of Tom’s of Maine, for his strong corporate conscience and commitment to preserve and improve the environment; and
• Thomas Cannon, a humble postal worker who has given over 100 individual gifts of $1,000 to strangers that he felt were in need of compassion and financial support.

When did the institute begin recognizing young adults?

We announced our first young adult Caring Award winners in 1992. Since then, they’ve become an integral part of our program because young people are especially inspired by the example of their peers.

How do we honor Caring Award winners?

We fly them to our annual ceremony, where they can share common bonds and brainstorm on better ways to help others. They also have a chance to meet the public and press at a series of media events. Their stories are featured in CARING magazine, and they’re inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame, located in the historic Frederick Douglass Museum. The festivities culminate in a gala dinner, where honorees receive a lovely statue of a crystal angel. She stands for the heavenly spirit of caring that our winners embody here on earth.

Over time, they’ve spread it through their communities, inspiring other people to join existing causes or start their own. And we like to think we’ve advanced this collective march toward a more caring world by shining a light on our winners’ efforts. “When you realize,” Halamandaris says, “how much phenomenal work is being done every day by ordinary individuals, quietly working for the betterment of mankind, it makes you stop and wonder why you don’t hear about these extraordinary people and others like them in the news more often.”

What is the Caring Hall of Fame and where is it located?

The Caring Hall of Fame is a memorial to caring past and present, located in the first Washington, DC, home of the nineteenth-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass. It contains pictures and profiles of all our winners. There’s also a collection of Douglass memorabilia and furniture that evoke the life of the one-time slave, humanitarian, and spokesperson for civil rights. Though his splendid voice is now hushed, his soul lives on in our winners as they, too, promote justice, compassion, and equality for all

How is the Caring Institute funded?

The institute is a 501(c) nonprofit organization that gladly accepts tax-deductible contributions. Our support comes from corporate contributions, foundation grants and individual donations. Please contact us if you have any questions about donating or wish to learn more about our programs.

For more information contact:

Richard Brennan at 202.547.4273 (phone), 202.547.4510 (fax), e-mail: rdb@nahc.org.
Or write to the Caring Institute at 228 Seventh Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.