Contacts:
Sarah Goodwin
Jim Elliot

January 13, 1999

MORE THAN 20 INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS FETED FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Emory University's Goizueta Business School and Rollins School of Public Health will come together Jan. 21 to recognize through the 1999 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards -- private and corporate citizens of Atlanta who have "overcome barriers to discrimination and have fostered the uplifting of disenfranchised populations," according to the event committee. (The list of winners is attached.) The theme is KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE THROUGH PUBLIC HEALTH & ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: A CHALLENGE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM.

At 1 p.m., those community groups and corporations nominated for awards will participate in an Interactive Exhibit that will showcase their services and community activities. The exhibit will be in the Student Commons of the business school, 1300 Clifton Rd., N.E., Atlanta. The public and the Emory community are invited to the exhibit as well as the 4 p.m.Awards Ceremony in the business school's auditorium. The ceremony will feature an inspiring lecture by the Rev. C.T. Vivian, friend and compatriot of Dr. King, described as "a battle-scarred American Civil Rights pioneer."

An International Service Award will be presented to Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa, the Robert W. Woodruff Visiting Professor at Emory's Chandler School of Theology.

Special Recognition Awards will be presented to 10 "individuals and/or organizations that have made outstanding contributions in the areas of community empowerment and/or economic development that positively impact citizens in the greater metropolitan Atlanta area." Exemplary Service Awards will be presented to the seven individuals and agencies listed below "that have consistently demonstrated methods for enhancing the quality of life and social, physical and psychological wellbeing of disenfranchised populations." A Reception follows at 5 p.m.

Visit the event's website at http://www.sph.emory.edu/AWARDS/.

Recipients of the 1999 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards

sponsored by

Goizueta Business School and Rollins School of Public Health

Emory University

Awards Committee Chair: Ronald Braithwaite, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health

Special Recognition Awards

Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership Inc.
The mission of ANDP is to develop and rehabilitate housing for low to moderate income citizens in Atlanta and to provide social services to its residents. ANDP works to revitalize metro Atlanta communities through grant funds, loans and technical assistance. (Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership Inc., 34 Peachtree St., NW, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-522-2637)

Association of Black Cardiologists Inc.
This is a health empowerment organization which fosters better health care for minorities in the areas of health promotion, awareness, detection, prevention and treatment of health problems prevalent among minorities. Several hundred church-based programs are associated with ABC to support the health needs of members in their community throughout the United States including the metro Atlanta area.(Association of Black Cardiologists Inc., 225 Peachtree St., NE, Suite 1420, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-582-8777, http://www.abcardio.org/)

Paul Wiesner, M.D., M.P.H., director, DeKalb County Board of Health
Dr. Wiesner has provided extraordinary leadership toward the accomplishment of the DeKalb County Board of Health's mission "to promote and protect health and provide quality preventive and primary care." The prevention of disease, disability and premature death is the primary purpose of the DeKalb County Board of Health. It unites with families and communities to serve the people who live, work and play in DeKalb County. Dr. Wiesner's efforts to foster community empowerment and capacity building are nationally recognized. (DeKalb County Board of Health, 445 Winn Way, Decatur, GA 30030, 404-294-3787, http://www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/county/dekalb.htm)

Fannie Mae Atlanta Partnership Office
This agency provides financing for underserved populations to secure housing and provides training for lenders, nonprofit organizations and real estate companies who serve the needs of the community. Through the Fannie Mae Partnership, credit-worthy individuals receive down-payment assistance through a lender. (Fannie Mae Atlanta Partnership Office, 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 750, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-525-3225, http://www.fanniemae.com)

Herman J. Russell, CEO, H.J. Russell & Company
This is one of the largest black-owned real estate and construction companies in the world. H.J. Russell & Company promotes the development and revitalization of inner city communities throughout metro Atlanta. It builds, redevelops, maintains and manages a wide range of public housing communities that have the curb appeal, maintenance standards and overall quality of a market-rate property.(H.J. Russell & Co., 504 Fair Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30313)

National Black MBA Association -- Atlanta Chapter
This association helps create economic and intellectual wealth in the black community by serving as a liaison for a career network, junior achievement and mentoring of youth. One of its goals is to target youth at risk of dropping out of school and to help them refocus their life's goals. (Atlanta Chapter, National Black MBA Association, 7202 Silverton Trail, Austell, GA 30168, 404-572-8001, http://www.atlbmba.org/)

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth is one of the fastest growing churches in DeKalb County. It serves the Atlanta community through various ministries, including: prison ministry, financial counseling, computer ministry, employment network and substance abuse ministry. (New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 2778 Snapfinger Rd., Decatur, GA 30034, 770-981-2095, http://www.newbirth.org/index.htm)

Oakhurst Presbyterian Church
Oakhurst provides community services to diverse populations in the Atlanta community through its outreach programs in the areas of tutoring elementary children, GED training, race relations workshops and Alcoholics Anonymous program. Oakhurst's mission is to reach beyond the church walls to serve all the needs of its diverse neighbors. (Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, 118 Second Ave., Decatur, GA 30030, 404-378-6284)

Donna Hubbard, executive director, Revelation S.E.E.D. Workshop Inc.
Ms. Hubbard established Revelation S.E.E.D. Workshop Inc. in 1994. The Workshop is a viable organization in the Atlanta community dedicated to assisting women returning from prison to adjust and adapt to community life. With funding from the Soros Foundation, the Atlanta Women's Foundation and the Public Welfare Foundation, this organization has established a transitional facility for female social offenders returning to the Atlanta area. Services include counseling and job development. (Revelation S.E.E.D. Workshop Inc., 1424 Beecher St., Atlanta, GA 30310, 404-755-2220)

SisterLove Inc.
SisterLove is the first and oldest nonprofit organization in Georgia established to provide education, prevention, housing and support services to women, by women, who are at risk for, or are already infected, with HIV or have AIDS. The Atlanta-based project's primary goals are to instill education and empowerment in women of color at risk, to fill the existing gap in HIV/AIDS housing, provide support to women affected by HIV and to reduce the spread of HIV through outreach, self-help, organizing and networking. (SisterLove Inc., PO Box 10558, Atlanta, GA 30310, 404-753-7733)

Exemplary Service Awards

Exemplary Media Award:
The Atlanta Tribune publishes a monthly newsmagazine that encourages African-American entrepreneurs and corporate executives to participate more fully in the economic development of the Atlanta community. The Atlanta Tribune serves as a valuable pipeline to the African-American community in its ability to disseminate information regarding education, health services, employment and career opportunities, economic development, personal finances and information technology. (The Atlanta Tribune, 875 Old Roswell Rd., #C-100, Roswell, GA 30076, 770-587-0501, http://www.atlantatribune.com/index.htm)

Exemplary Corporate/Community Affairs Award:
Ingrid Saunders-Jones, vice president, The Coca-Cola Company, External Affairs Ms. Saunders-Jones helps to provide numerous scholarships for students to receive training and continues to promote projects for the disenfranchised community of Atlanta. In her capacity as vice president of corporate external affairs at The Coca-Cola Company, Ms. Saunders-Jones provided tickets for thousands of Atlanta youth to witness the Olympic games, as well as provided students with tickets to sporting events for their academic and behavioral achievements in school. Through her support of education, community empowerment and economic development, she helps Coca Cola to stand out as a leader in the city of Atlanta and the world. (Office of External Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company, PO Drawer 1734, Atlanta, GA 30301, 404-676-3525, http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/)

Exemplary State Government Award:

Dr. Jean DeVard-Kemp, assistant commissioner, Office of Literacy Programs Georgia Department of Technical & Adult Education
Under the leadership of Dr. DeVard-Kemp, this agency provides adult learning programs, testing and evaluation, and certifies those seeking adult basic education certification throughout Georgia. This organization has credentialled nearly 94,000 GED graduates in the last five years and has enhanced economic development and community empowerment by making citizens job-ready. (Office of Literacy Programs, Georgia Department of Technical & Adult Education, 1800 Century Place, NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30345, 404-679-1642, http://www.dtae.org/)

Exemplary Community Empowerment Award:

The MECCA Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women
The MECCA Chapter is committed to addressing the needs of African-American women through mentoring, advocacy and leadership development and has provided community services for the citizens of south DeKalb by establishing a teen mothers program and providing school clothing for homeless children. This chapter also established a humanitarian partnership with the Ashanti Village of Assisiriwa in Ghana, West Africa, to bring electric services to the village. (MECCA Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, 1930 Honey Suckle Lane #7, Atlanta, GA 30311, 404-727-8849, http://orgs.womenconnect.com/ncbw/)

Exemplary Religious/Community Affairs Award:

Reaching Out to Senior Adults (ROSA Inc.)
This agency helps to empower the quality of life for senior adults in the Atlanta community. ROSA works with congregations in identifying the needs of its seniors by informing and educating them regarding available services and resources. The Volunteers Serving as Enablers Program (VSEP) focuses on the needs of the home-bound. Forty volunteers are trained annually for the VSEP Program.(Reaching Out to Senior Adults [ROSA Inc.], 1683 W. Caribaea Trail, S.E., Atlanta, GA 30316, 404-614-0055)

Exemplary Community Development Award:

Young Hughley, executive director Reynoldstown Revitalization Corporation
With dedicated leadership proved by Young Hughley, this 501(c)3 nonprofit community development organization has sponsored housing and home-buying assistance programs to provide quality affordable structures for neighborhood residents in the Reynoldstown community in southeast Atlanta. Additionally, the organization has focused its efforts in prevention of substance abuse and other health alternatives. (Reynoldstown Revitalization Corporation, 100 Flat Shoals Ave., SE, Atlanta, GA 30312, 404-525-4130)

Exemplary Job Development Award:

Otis Hillsman, director Support to Employment Project Inc. (STEP Inc.)
Mr. Hillsman has provided notable and dedicated leaderhip to STEP Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help unemployed and underemployed persons in Atlanta and Fulton County obtain employment. STEP offers the following services: individual assessment of job skills and interests, pre-employment counseling and job readiness training, linkages with prospective employers or training and counseling for employment follow up and to avoid job loss. (Support to Employment Project Inc. [STEP Inc.], 236 Forsyth St., Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-577-7312)

International Service Award

Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, the Robert W. Woodruff Visiting Professor, Chandler School of Theology, Emory University. Archbishop Tutu gained international recognition as a theologian, orator and peacemaker. During the 27 years of Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, the Archbishop Tutu served as the embodiment of hope for the oppressed people of South Africa. He remains a determined and powerful voice of the voiceless wherever they may be. His work has empowered thousands of South Africans and he serves as a positive role model for nonviolent social change throughout the world. Recently, he chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the South African government.

For more general information on The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, call Health Sciences Communication's Office at 404-727-5686, or send e-mail to hsnews@emory.edu.