Alicia Keys, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Selena Gomez to be Honored and Five Everyday Heroes to Receive the unite4:humanity Inspiration Award and Grant
February 14, 2014 – (Los Angeles, CA) unite4:good (www.unite4good.org), the global movement for humanity, announces Alicia Keys as the Music Visionary Award recipient, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Creative Commitment in Television Award recipient and Selena Gomez as the recipient of the Young Humanitarian Award at the first ever unite4:humanity event in association with Variety (www.variety.com). In addition, five everyday heroes will be presented with the unite4:humanity Inspiration Award and grant during a very special ceremony at the Sony Lot in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 27.
Grammy® Award-winning musical icon, Alicia Keys, will be honored for her work as an activist and Founder of Keep A Child Alive (www.keepachildalive.org), which has provided treatment, love and support to families in Africa affected by HIV/AIDS for over a decade. Keys will also take the stage for a very special musical performance. Emmy® Award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be honored for her support of and work with Heal The Bay, utilizing her influence, skills and voice to promote the philanthropic cause. Selena Gomez will be honored for her involvement as a UNICEF Ambassador and use of her influence to the youth community to help promote the cause.
Through a selection process that began in December 2013, each of unite4:good’s Founding Affiliates identified an everyday hero who is furthering its mission in a local community and through their own efforts. Out of the 15 remarkable individuals nominated by the Affiliates, five were selected by an impartial committee to receive the unite4:humanity Inspiration Award in the categories of the Arts, Animal Welfare, Environment, Health and Human Services/Public Benefit and Youth Development/Education. Each recipient will be presented with a $25,000 grant to further their good work.
Between now and February 19, the stories of the five Inspiration Award recipients will appear on
. The public is asked to visit the site, learn about the recipients, and vote on which humanitarian should receive the unite4:humanity Impact Grant, an additional $50,000 grant that will be presented on stage to a surprise winner at the event.
Background on Inspiration Award recipients and Impact Grant nominees:
Category: Health and Human Services/Public Benefit
- Cherie Jamason, nominated by Feeding America
Jamason joined the Food Bank of Northern Nevada 25 years ago. With her leadership and expertise, the Food Bank has grown from a grass-roots food assistance program to a nationally recognized anti-hunger organization, providing services throughout the state of Nevada and a portion of Eastern California. Under Cherie’s direction, hunger issues have been brought to the forefront, garnering both attention and action. Cherie successfully implemented the “Nevada Child Nutrition” initiative, which provides summer food and after-school meal programs for low-income children throughout the state, a regional food stamp outreach program and nutrition education for at-risk schools. Jamason also secured the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for Nevada.
Category: Arts
- Kathy Eldon, nominated by Points of Light
Eldon has worked as a teacher, journalist, author, film and television producer on three continents. Inspired by her son Dan, a Reuters photojournalist killed in Somalia in l993, she launched Creative Visions Foundation in 1998, which has nurtured hundreds of “creative activists” who use arts and media for social change. Kathy’s Creative Visions Productions has produced many acclaimed films including: “Soldiers of Peace,” a CNN special about the Children’s Peace Movement in Colombia; “Global Tribe,” a PBS series featuring grass-roots creative activists; and “Extraordinary Moms,” an OWN special featuring Hillary Clinton, Christiane Amanpour and Julia Roberts. Currently, she is developing “Best Care Possible,” a PBS documentary about compassionate end-of-life care in America.
Category: Environment
- David Schwartz, nominated by DoSomething.org
Schwartz is the co-founder and Campaign Director of Real Food Challenge (RFC), a national student movement to create a healthier, just and sustainable food system. Through student-led campaigns, RFC has shifted over $55 million in annual university food purchases to local, ecological, fair and humane farms and food businesses. David regularly leads national youth summits and leadership trainings — in 2013, RFC programs involved more than 100,000 young people on over 306 college campuses. David was selected as a 2010 Echoing Green Fellow for his social enterprise leadership and was honored as a semifinalist at the 2011 VH1/Do Something Awards.
Category: Youth Development/Education
- Dr. Flint Fowler, nominated by Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Dr. Fowler is President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. Flint has impacted the lives of children and teens through his work with INROADS/St. Louis, Operation Teamwork; Upward Bound and Boy Scouts. He continues to support youth development through his organization, which serves more than 8,000 young people in five club sites and five elementary schools. He is active with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and served on several planning committees, including the Commission for the Second Century and the National Commission on Impact. He received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Washington University and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University. He is a graduate of the Management Program and Thomas Garth Executive Leadership Program.
Category: Animal Welfare
- Jane Hoffman, nominated by ASPCA
Jane Hoffman helped found the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals (created to apply creative, targeted solutions to NYC’s homeless animal crisis) in 2002 and has served as President and Chair of the Board of Directors ever since. Working pursuant to a 10-year strategic plan and with 150+ rescue groups and shelters that now participate in the Alliance (ranging from the ASCPA, a founding supporter, to small neighborhood-based rescue groups), the collaboration has succeeded in reducing euthanasia at local shelters by 81 percent. Hoffman is an attorney, formerly with Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, and was in private practice specializing in taxation, executive compensation and estate planning. Hoffman continues to speak extensively around the country on the public/private partnership as a replicable model for bringing together animal welfare groups to develop creative solutions to combat animal overpopulation and animal control issues.
For more information, please visit: www.unite4good.org
Please join the conversation online and vote for a nominee at:
Please join the conversation online at Facebook: facebook.com/unite4good.org and
Twitter: @unite4good using hashtags #U4Gunite4humanity #unite4good.
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About unite4:good
unite4:good is a revolutionary global movement that will establish a new standard whereby acts of kindness and service become so idolized that everyone chooses to make them a part of their daily life. Through empowering action, creating new programs and uniting individuals and organizations in innovative ways, we will provoke positive and lasting change on a global scale. unite4:good will encourage everyone to inspire, empower, share and love. (unite4good.org).
About Variety
Variety and Variety.com provide the industry with the most comprehensive coverage of film, television and the digital space. With respected and experienced news reporters in Los Angeles, New York and around the world, Variety marries its historic coverage of the entertainment business with a recently revamped website and weekly print magazine offering readers the in-depth news coverage needed to remain competitive in the ever-changing entertainment industry. The Variety Group – Variety, Variety.com, Variety Insight, LA 411, NY 411 – is owned by Variety Media, LLC, a division of Penske Media Corporation.
