RECENT WINNERS
Gary Fine – Prisoner Express
prisonerexpress.org/ | Ithaca, NY
Prisoner Express creates an opportunity for incarcerated men and women to get information, education and a public forum for creative self-expression. Through their newsletters and programs, they step through the isolation and alienation of prison life – with the goal being to bring hope and foster a sense of community among the prisoners who participate.
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Doug Vilsack – Elephant Energy
elephantenergy.org/ | Denver, CO
While working in Namibia for the WWF Doug Vilsack noticed a severe gap in the energy access in Katima Mulilo, a small region in the North of the country. Farmers needed lights to protect their fields from elephants who would destroy their crop at night. He reached out to friends and family to raise funds for the first round of solar lights to be distributed in Namibia. Since then, Elephant Energy, has spread to 8 regions and adopted a social enterprise model, selling lights, and generating income throughout the rural the North of the country.
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Mark Dibner – Kramden Institute
kramden.org/ | Durham, NC
Kramden was born out of a father/son project initiated in June 2003 by Mark and Ned Dibner (“Kramden” is ‘Mark’ and ‘Ned’ spelt backwards). The idea came from Ned, then 13, who suggested to his father that they refurbish and fix older computers to donate to middle school honour-roll students in Durham, NC who could not afford home computers.
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