2008 Award Winners
The 17th Georgia Nonprofit Summit was a great success with 500+ attendees coming together from around the state for this annual two day conference. The 2008 Revolutions awards were bestowed for the following categories: outstanding nonprofit individual, outstanding nonprofit organization, nonprofit emerging philanthropist and legendary philanthropist. The bi-annual Evelyn G. Ullman Award for Nonprofit Innovation was announced, as well. During the luncheon at the Hyatt Regency to a packed crowd, the award recipients received their awards.
The Revolutions Award winner for outstanding nonprofit individual was Mrs. Alana Shepherd, founder of the Shepherd Center. Since its inception in 1975, the 120-bed not-for-profit hospital has grown to be the country’s largest catastrophic care hospital, specializing in the treatment of people with spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, and urological problems. Shepherd Center is a Model Center in spinal cord injury and an official Multiple Sclerosis Center, designated by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Georgia Chapter.
Alana continues to work tirelessly for the patients at Shepherd and regularly communicates with community leaders, legislators, the media, friends, and whoever will listen to increase public awareness of people with disabilities and to change attitudes and misperceptions. In addition to her role as advocate and activist for both Shepherd Center and people with disabilities, Alana has remained an active volunteer for more than 30 years.
The Revolutions Award for outstanding nonprofit organization was given to MedShare International. MedShare serves both the local Atlanta community as well as communities around the world. In 2007, MedShare shipped 78 forty-foot containers full of vital medical supplies and equipment to locations around the world. In January, two doctors who had been working in the western African nation of Niger visited MedShare to give an update on a container shipment to the Maine-Soroa District Hospital. The forty-foot MedShare container allowed them to treat 1,100 patients in the third quarter of the year, up from 400 during the quarter before the shipment arrived. Over four times as many surgical consultations were performed as a result of the MedShare supplies. Reports such as this one confirm the success of MedShare’s mission.
Locally, MedShare’s initiatives allow medical manufacturers, distributors and hospitals to dispose of waste while improving the state of global healthcare. Donations barrels placed in operating rooms and emergency rooms give healthcare personnel an alternative to throwing away supplies which might have been unused in a pack but are still individually sterile and usable. By diverting waste from landfills and engaging local healthcare personnel in our process, MedShare has a positive effect not only on its recipient communities but also on the metro Atlanta community. MedShare has taken the lead in the community of medical surplus recovery organizations. It has spearheaded the formation of a national association of such groups, MedSurplus Network, which will allow the sharing of best practices.
The Revolutions Award winner for nonprofit emerging philanthropist was Keith Brooking. Keith Brooking, founder of The Keith Brooking Children's Foundation, has been recognized as an all pro linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons for many years now in his NFL career. These years of success on the field have allowed Keith to position himself as a leader and contributor in an area just as important to him, philanthropy.
In 2003, Keith established the Keith Brooking Children’s Foundation. This has been his conduit for his passion of serving the foster children of the metro Atlanta area. Through the foundation, he has been able to provide numerous opportunities for foster children ranging from scholarships for education, transportation for community shelters, grants for specific needs, to hundreds of pairs of athletic shoes for metro Atlanta children. Equally as important to all of these programs, Keith has encouraged many children that health, integrity and education are essential for success in life. His message to the kids has always been that “believing in who you are and recognizing your self worth through respect and giving to others, will lead to a life of fulfillment no matter what career path you choose.”
The Revolutions Award for Legendary Philanthropist was given to Barbara T. Cleveland. During her early years in Atlanta, Bobbi was active on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Conservancy and the Junior League of Atlanta. She was a founding board member of APPLE Corps, a predecessor to the current Atlanta Education Fund.
In 1987, Bobbi became the first Executive Director of the Tull Charitable Foundation, a private grant-making foundation based in Atlanta that funds Georgia-based nonprofit organizations. During her tenure at the Foundation, she has had an opportunity to provide leadership for a number of initiatives that address the needs of at-risk children and families. In 2001, she helped launch the Family Connection Partnership (FCP) and has served on its Executive Committee for seven years. In 2003, Bobbi was instrumental in the founding of Voices for Georgia’s Children, a statewide child advocacy organization. She is currently providing leadership for the formation of EMBRACE, a statewide public-private initiative that focuses on the recruitment and retention of foster families. Bobbi has been selected to participate in Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia, and the Regional Leadership Institute. She has been chosen by the YWCA of Greater Atlanta for its Academy of Women Achievers and recognized by Atlanta Woman magazine as one of the 2007 25 Power Women.
To learn more about the Revolutions Award criteria and winners, go here.
The Evelyn G. Ullman Innovative Leadership Award winner was Sally Bethea, Executive Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Sally exemplifies dedication to community and stepped forward when an opportunity arose to create an organization to address one of Georgia’s most chronic environmental and health problems—the aging Atlanta sewer system that had long polluted local waterways. Now focused on Atlanta’s water crisis, Sally is developing solutions to ensure we’ll have enough clean water for future generations.
Under Sally’s leadership since 1994, the Upper Chattachoochee Riverkeeper has made a profound, measurable improvement in the quality of the drinking water for 3.5 million Georgians in metro Atlanta and throughout the Chattahoochee watershed. With a 12-person staff, thousands of members and volunteers, and an annual budget of $1.2 million, they have stopped hundreds of illegal discharges into the Chattahoochee and helped local governments and industries comply with clean water laws. Whether on river patrols, at the State Capitol, in the courtroom, or in the classroom, Sally serves her community and its river with intelligence and passion.
To learn more about the Evelyn G. Ullman Innovative Leadership Award criteria, go here.
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