Check out the Elfenworks Foundation press release here!
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Burlingame, CA (PRWEB) September 30, 2014
The Elfenworks Foundation, an organization that works for hope in America by fostering creative and technology solutions that advance change, will honor three entrepreneurs who are reshaping communities at the 8th Annual In Harmony with Hope Awards at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, CA, on October 2, 2014 at 6:30 p.m.
The Elfenworks Foundation will present $25,000 to social entrepreneurs who are âcooking upâ hope, inspiration, and solutions for our countryâs youth: Margaret Martin, DrPH, MPH, Founder, Harmony Project; Scott Warren, Co-Founder, Executive Director, Generation Citizen; and Jim Ziolkowski, Founder, President and CEO, buildOn.This year will feature special guest Mistress of Ceremonies, actress Nora Zehetner.
âAll of our honorees use different ingredients combined with their innate gifts and passion in very different ways. By shining a light on each of them, we send a message that each of us can cook up hope,â said Dr. Lauren Speeth, Elfenworks founder and CEO. âNow is a great moment; there just canât be too many cooks in the kitchen, helping whip up a winning recipe that can nourish our shared future. We need all hands.â
For the fourth year in a row, Wells Fargo is generously contributing $10,000 to support the event. Beyond the financial reward that will be given to the honorees, the In Harmony with Hope Awards gathering will enhance the winnersâ networks so they can continue to bring compassionate vision into action.
The In Harmony with Hope Awards alumni include visionaries like Rosalynn Carter and Dr. Paul Farmer; this yearâs winners continue the legacy of providing solutions for a more hopeful America.
Each entrepreneur expressed his/her gratitude for the In Harmony with Hope Award:
“Generation Citizen (GC) is honored to receive the In Harmony with Hope Award. We share the Foundation’s positive outlook for the future and are confident that young people can be at the forefront of a movement to revitalize our nation’s democracy, starting with local change in their own communities,â said Scott Warren, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Generation Citizen. âThis award will serve as a launching point for GC, allowing us to both deepen and expand our impact, and prove to our elected leaders that young people are motivated and ready to be active, effective citizens.â
Margaret Martin, DrPH, MPH, Founder, Harmony Project, stated: âWe mentor thousands of extremely low-income kids for multiple years throughout Los Angelesâ high-crime gang-reduction zones by teaching them to play and perform music. We see our students as problem-solvers, as valuable resources to develop, not as problems. The In Harmony with Hope Award affirms this truth and shines a bright light on the extraordinary success of our model, for which we are deeply grateful. The impressive ensembles in which our students perform bring harmony and joy to their families, their friends, and to their own neighborhoods. Through their diligence and art, our students demonstrate that difficult goals can be achieved and that hope and a well-functioning community are within reach.â
Jim Ziolkowski, Founder, President and CEO, buildOn, added: âI’m extremely humbled and accept the In Harmony with Hope Award on behalf of urban youth from some of the most challenging neighborhoods in the United States and families from the economically poorest communities in the developing world. Over the past 23 years I have been inspired by their determination to overcome extreme poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. This is a tribute to them and I’m very grateful that Elfenworks is shedding further light on the movement we’ve created, together.â
For more information on the 2014 In Harmony with Hope Award winners, visit elfenworks.org
or call 650-347-9700 for ticket information.
About Elfenworks âIn Harmony with Hopeâ: Elfenworks works for hope in America by fostering creative and technology solutions that advance change. We identify chasms, create change, and amplify success, whether cultivating thousands of student social justice filmmakers in partnership with Campus MovieFest, or helping kids cope with stress through the Breathing Butterfly project. Visit http://www.elfenworks.org/ripple for big and small ways to make a difference.
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