Jefferson Awards for Public Service were created in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service as "a Nobel Prize for community and public service".[1][2]
The Institute is a non-profit organization that "recognizes, inspires and activates volunteerism and public service in communities, workplaces and schools across America." The Institute was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard.
The Jefferson Awards are given at the national and local level.[3] National winners represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans. Local winners are "Unsung Heroes"— ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition. Local winners come from their national network of Media Partners, Corporate Champions, and the Students in Action programs.
To recognize, inspire and activate volunteerism and public service in communities, workplaces and schools across America.
The Carnegie Endowment and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, among many others, are concerned that America's tradition of civic engagement is eroding. They see a startling decline in the number of citizens joining hands to address community needs.
From the beginning, the Jefferson Awards has been based on a simple idea. One of the most powerful ideas in the world. One person can make a difference. That is the heart of democracy at work.
Beginning in 2004, the Jefferson Awards retooled their mission. They are now using the history and prestige of the Jefferson Awards to inspire, activate – and, yes – recognize - volunteering in America. They are placing a special emphasis on youth to pass the tradition of service and leadership on to the next generation.
The Jefferson Awards is creating a "Call to Action" for volunteers.
In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard founded the Jefferson Awards for Public Service to establish a Nobel Prize for public and community service. The Jefferson Awards is led by the Board of Selectors who choose the national winners and oversee the activities of the organization.
In 2009, Robert Ford joined the Jefferson Awards for Public Service as Executive Director.
Celebrating giving back to the community, the nation and in some cases the world, the annual Jefferson Awards were bestowed on 15 recipients from throughout the country whose lives, careers and volunteer activities embody the finest examples of public service in a range of human endeavor. The awards are presented each year during a special gala ceremony in Washington, D.C., during the third week in June, where a broad array of honorees are recognized – from high-profile individuals who have dedicated the better part of their lives to public service to celebrated professional athletes to largely unheralded community-based volunteers. Also recognized are organizations – companies that represent the pinnacle in corporate citizenship and schools that best reflect the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement.
The Jefferson Awards are presented on two levels: National and Local.
National winners represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans. Local winners are "Unsung Heroes" — ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition. Local winners come from our Media Partners, our Champions, and our Students in Action programs.
Past National Winners include:
For a full list of National Winners visit the Jefferson Awards web site: http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national.
Local winners are "Unsung Heroes" — ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition. Local winners come from our Media Partners, our Champions, and our Students in Action programs.
In 1977, the Jefferson Awards began a breakthrough partnership with the media. They reached out to newspapers, radio and television stations in local communities and asked them to join in a unique partnership to highlight “Unsung Heroes.” This is America’s largest media partnership promoting grassroots volunteers. The Jefferson Awards has over 125 partners in more than 70 communities. They reach over 100 million Americans. The value of the print and air space exceeds $150 million per year.
The media reaches out to the public seeking nominations. A local selection committee picks the winners who are then honored on air or in print. One local volunteer represents each community at the National Jefferson Awards Ceremonies in Washington, DC in June.
In 2006, they began working with business journals to honor outstanding companies benefiting local communities.
Jefferson Awards media partners: http://www.jeffersonawards.org/media
In 2006 the Jefferson Awards began inviting corporations, colleges and universities, local governments and non-profits to become Jefferson Awards Champions. Champions recognize outstanding employee volunteers and encourage other employees and retirees to volunteer.
These are cause-marketing partnerships based on bottom-line considerations. Champions join the Jefferson Awards to create a co-branded program that helps them recruit new employees, retain existing employees, and build teamwork and customer loyalty.
The list of Champions includes: Allstate Insurance, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Aramark, Deloitte, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Eli Lilly, National Grid, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Adobe, AstraZeneca, the University of Toledo, Conseco, the State of Delaware, ReedSmith, Exelon, RCI, Macy’s, Heinz, Highmark, and others.
Each Champion presents a Jefferson Award to an outstanding employee volunteer every month. One outstanding volunteer and the program manager are honored at the National Jefferson Awards Ceremonies in Washington, DC in June.
Jefferson Awards champions: http://www.jeffersonawardschampions.com/
Students In Action is a national youth recognition and reward program, designed to pass the tradition of service and volunteerism on to the next generation of young Americans.
Launched in 2006 by The Jefferson Awards For Public Service and Deloitte, Students In Action is a national youth leadership program. Currently active in 325 high schools in 13 communities across the U.S., the program encourages high school students to get engaged and be the change that they wish to see in their communities. Through this program the Jefferson Awards hope to: 1. Build life long habits around Service, Leadership and Ethics-the core values of the initiative. 2. Double the current level of youth volunteerism and community service on a national level. 3. Pass the tradition of Community Service on to young Americans.
Highlighting and promoting Students In Action through Jefferson Awards Media Partners (155 newspapers, radio and television stations in 75 communities all across the country), and with support from Jefferson Awards Champions (leading corporations, universities, local governments and non-profit organizations that partner with The Jefferson Awards to recognize and encourage their employees and retirees to volunteer and help build their local communities), the goal is to get more young Americans participating in community service, recognizing them for their efforts as a means to inspire others.
The Jefferson Awards is proud to have a formal partnership with the U.S. Senate as a result of U.S. Senate Resolution 461, passed June 2, 2006. Senate Sponsors: U.S. Senators Joe Biden, Richard Durbin, Trent Lott, and Richard Lugar.
The Jefferson Awards created a National Report on Volunteerism and presented it to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, June 22. 2010.
For over 35 years, the Jefferson Awards has been a key national leader in recognizing and encouraging volunteerism. Through a unique network of Board Members, past recipients, Media Partners, Corporate Champions, Youth Service Partners, youth service programs, and an increasing use of the social media and modern communications to highlight “ordinary people performing extraordinary service.”
The Jefferson Awards used these assets and outreach to make a Specific focused annual report to the U.S. Senate and the White House on volunteerism and community building.
To help further the goal of reaching over 3 million students, the Jefferson Awards has formed partnerships with national organizations to help initiate service and pass volunteerism onto the next generation.
National Partnerships include:
Youth Leadership Partners include: