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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
1.16.2008 - 09:00am ET
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CSR News from:
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Volvo Cars of North America
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America Has Spoken, Greatest Unsung Heroes Revealed
Finalists Named in 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards
Celebrity Judges To Now Select Top Four Winners; Grand Award Winner will be Named March 19 in New York City
(CSRwire) IRVINE, CA. - January 16, 2008 ¬- For the past nine weeks hundreds of
thousands of members of the American public have been casting their votes
online to decide the country's favorite hometown heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo
for life Awards. The polls are officially closed and the top three
heroes in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life, Environment and the
Butterfly Award, Volvo's youth category, can be revealed.
Heroes rising to the top of the voting pool include a man teaching
thousands of teenagers how to be safe, defensive drivers, a woman
refurbishing electronics for disadvantaged communities and a 10-year-old
boy walking hundreds of miles to raise money for homeless children.
The final decision now rests in the hands of a distinguished panel of
celebrity judges who are experts on conscience, care and character - Hank
Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, Mae Jemison and Edsel Ford. The judges will now review the
finalists' nominations to select the program's top three winners in the
categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment and the Volvo for
life Awards grand award winner, "America's Greatest Hometown Hero."
Alexandra Scott's parents, Liz and Jay, are judging the 4th Annual
Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award child heroes. The Butterfly Award is in
honor of Alex, a Volvo for life Awards winner from Wynnewood, Pa. who,
before passing away when she was 8 years old from cancer, raised more than
$1 million for pediatric cancer research through lemonade sales and other
fundraising activities. Alex's parents will select the winner from three
finalists.
The nine Safety, Quality of Life and Environment finalists are guaranteed
to receive $25,000 in charitable contributions from Volvo. The three
category winners will receive $100,000. The grand award winner will
receive the added bonus of a new Volvo car every three years for life. The
three Butterfly Award finalists are guaranteed a $10,000 charitable
contribution and the winner will receive $25,000.
Since 2002, Volvo Cars of North America has identified more than 18,000
everyday heroes in its annual Volvo for life Awards, and has contributed
millions of dollars to their causes. The program, launched in June 2007,
called for individuals nationwide to visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com
and vote for their favorite unsung hometown hero. America selected the
following heroes for the 6th annual Volvo for life Awards:
Safety:
Marilyn Adams, 57 of Earlham, Iowa, founded Farm Safety 4 Just
Kids and set out on a mission to promote safe farm environments across the
country and eliminate farm-related child health hazards, injuries and
fatalities.
An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and CPR saved Ronald
Dundon's life during a severe sudden cardiac arrest. After his
recovery, Dundon, 58 of Kalamazoo, Mich., founded the AED Fund of
Kalamazoo County to help increase the chances of survival for future
sudden cardiac arrest victims in underserved communities.
Through his program "Driver's Edge," Las Vegas-native Jeff
Payne, 40, teaches thousands of youth how to avoid vehicle accidents
and drive safely. Through a mix of behind-the-wheel defensive driving
exercises and interactive classroom sessions, his program aims to erase
the "fast-and-furious" style marring many young adults' driving skills.
Quality of Life:
John Dau, 35 of Syracuse, N.Y., was forced to flee his Sudan
village and spend 16 years on the run avoiding air and ground attacks. Dau
reached the United States in 2001 and his encounter with American culture
was captured in an award-winning documentary, "God Grew Tired of Us."
Since then, Dau has raised $700,000 to improve healthcare and literacy in
southern Sudan.
Nationally recognized yoga teacher, author and renowned expert in
mind-body integration, Matthew Sanford, 42 of Orono, Minn.,
paralyzed from the chest down, has inspired and enhanced the lives of
thousands. In 2001, Sanford founded Mind Body Solutions, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to revolutionizing the rehabilitation process.
Darius Weems, 18 of Athens, Ga., diagnosed with Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) as a child, works to raise money for DMD research
through "Darius Goes West," a documentary that chronicles his courageous
journey across America, his first time ever outside of Georgia. DMD, a
condition that takes the lives of young people in their late teens or
early 20s, causes respiratory failure, heart failure and debilitating
orthopedic complications.
Environment:
Lorraine Kerwood, 47 of Eugene, Ore., created an electronics
recycling and distribution center, NextStep, which brings refurbished
computers to disadvantaged communities and benefits the environment by
reducing electronic waste. NextStep has recycled more than 800 tons of
waste and refurbished more than 11,000 electronic devices.
Seventeen-year-old Zander Srodes, of Cape Haze, Fla., has
educated more than 5,000 students about sea turtle conservation through a
series of educational presentations called "Turtle Talks," which he
developed along with a children's activity book on the subject.
Charles Turner, 48 of Sedley, Va., founded the
Blackwater-Nottoway Riverkeeper Program, which mobilizes individuals to
patrol rivers looking for signs of pollution and educate others about the
importance of clean, wild waterways.
Butterfly Award:
Zach Bonner, 10 of Valrico, Fla., founded the Little Red Wagon
Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks
filled with food and school items to disadvantaged children nationwide. In
late 2007, Bonner completed a marathon walk from Tampa to Tallahassee, Fla.
covering 250 miles over 23 days, raising money and awareness for homeless
children along the way.
Blind since birth, 11-year-old Rocco Fiorentino, of Voorhees,
N.J., is an accomplished Braille education activist and musician who works
with the Little Rock Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by
his family to provide resources for children, parents, therapists, and
educators who are facing issues related to blindness.
Sixteen-year-old Dallas Jessup, of Vancouver, Wash., using her
own expertise in martial arts and Filipino street fighting, wrote and
produced "Just Yell Fire," a film for women of all ages illustrating
simple self-defense strategies to defend against an attack, kidnapping or
sexual assault. More than 325,000 copies of the film have been downloaded
or distributed for free.
Volvo will fly the four category winners to New York to be honored at the
42nd St. Cipriani's during the Volvo for life Awards ceremony on March 19,
2008. At the event, Volvo and program judges will present a short film
documenting each winner. The ceremony will be hosted by actor Jay Sanders
and will feature musical performances by various artists. Visit www.volvoforlifeawards.com to
view hundreds of hero stories, including this year's finalists.
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