| LEADERSHIP |
|
For more than 30 years, The Community Foundation and our donors have demonstrated a deep commitment to our diverse communities. Going forward, working together we can bring positive change to the most difficult issues facing our region today.
|
|
Mark Bergel founded A Wider Circle in 2001, with the mission of helping Dr. Bergel’s unwavering commitment – he is known to work 12-hour days, Arva Jackson has been a passionate advocate and activist, particularly on issues related to civil rights, children and health, all of her adult life. While Ms. Jackson retired in 1996 from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, where she served as the agency’s first director of its Office of Civil Rights, in truth, she has never truly retired. For more than a decade, Ms. Jackson has been a persistent and persuasive presence in Montgomery County as a full-time volunteer, facing head-on some of the most difficult challenges facing many of the county’s most vulnerable residents. Her dedication to issues such as infant mortality, caring for the uninsured, and culturally sensitive outreach services has earned her widespread admiration in Montgomery County and beyond. Irwin Royster’s work with young African American men living in Washington’s Ward 7 has expanded Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington’s reach in innovative and effective ways. The key to his success? Creativity and the ability to inspire and mobilize young people as they spread the message of healthy lifestyles, reproductive responsibility and the importance of leadership skills among their peers. Under Royster’s guidance and leadership, young people become Peer Educators, Peer Advocates and Peer Leaders as they complete an ongoing series of education and training programs focused not just on reproductive health, but also embracing a broader set of lifestyles, reinforcing the importance of education, and fostering community development. Irwin Royster’s creative and caring spirit is bringing hope and opportunity to the young people of Ward 7. Despite his 23 years, Trayon White arguably is a highly respected "elder" of the Woodland Terrace community in southeast Washington. In this embattled neighborhood where crime and lack of education hold young people back all too often, Trayon’s friendship, courage and optimism are building self-esteem and bringing much-needed services and educational opportunities to his peers and to his community. Recognizing that behavioral issues among his peers threatened to derail their futures, Trayon partnered with local churches to create the Rites of Passage program, which focuses on character development and provides young people with positive role models. His work also stresses the importance of education, and at Woodland Terrace he has organized tutoring services to complement classroom learning. From testifying as a youth advocate before the DC Council to preparing a young man for a job interview to being one of the first on the scene of a neighborhood crime, Trayon White is not only a voice for youth – he is a leader among them.
Since 1997, Linowes Leadership Awards have recognized "unsung heroes" who exercise their community leadership in a variety of roles and across multiple sectors - as volunteers, faith leaders, activists, students, nonprofit staff or executives, public sector officials or business persons. Recipients are extraordinary people, of all ages, with compelling stories of courage and commitment with little, if any, reward or recognition. Each recipient receives an unrestricted, direct grant of $2,000 and an additional $3,000 to be contributed to the local nonprofit community organization of his/her choice. The cash awards are supported by The Community Leadership Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. In addition to inspiring others to lead, recipients have received increased recognition and support from, among others, Oprah's Angel Network, The Washington Post and other Washington, DC-area foundations.
Links to Learn More Nomination and Selection Process >MORE Past Linowes Leadership Awardees >MORE The Impact of the Linowes Leadership Award >MORE
|
