2023 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Transforming Lives

Organization

Grand Avenue Economic Community Development Corp./Pathlight HOME

Program

Transforming Lives Through Housing & Economic Opportunity

Partners

Homeless Services Network of Central Florida

Advent Health Orlando

Rosen Hotels and Resorts

Contact Information

Transforming Lives Through Housing & Economic Opportunity

Grand Avenue Economic Community Development Corp./Pathlight HOME

3200 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32808

Babette Allen

President and Chief Executive Officer

407.294.0123

babette@pathlighthome.org

Every person deserves a safe, stable place to live. Yet homelessness, which can drive or exacerbate mental health and substance-use disorders, is often a barrier that prevents our most vulnerable citizens from finding a secure place to live.

Recognizing the complexities of homelessness, Grand Avenue Economic Community Development Corp. (commonly known as Pathlight HOME) was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1992 to provide housing and economic opportunity to homeless and low-income individuals who need a second chance.

Pathlight HOME was the first organization in Florida to apply the “Housing First” model to address homelessness. Through its Transforming Lives Through Housing & Economic Opportunity program, Pathlight HOME provides access to affordable housing without preconditions. At the same time, it makes available voluntary, wraparound services, such as case management, community-based healthcare, and career training and employment services.

Pathlight HOME pioneered an innovative approach to creating permanent housing: It acquired two abandoned motel properties and renovated them to become more than 700 affordable efficiency apartments. It also transformed the commercial kitchen of one of those motels into a Culinary Skills Training Center, providing residents and nonresidents with culinary training and a pathway to jobs in the food service industry.

Homeless individuals are referred to Pathlight HOME through a long-standing collaboration with Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. Employment services and career training for residents and nonresidents are provided on-site and in partnership with Advent Health Orlando and Rosen Hotels and Resorts.

“Working in partnership with these amazing organizations has enabled us to move more than 7,000 homeless individuals from the streets to permanent housing, and from the unemployment line to good and steady jobs, since 1992,” said Babette Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pathlight HOME.

“Pathlight HOME began as a dream shared by our founders, Rev. Fred Maxwell and Helaine Blum. That dream continues to grow,” Allen added. “Today, we’re working to replicate our program so that all Floridians who have been displaced by rising housing costs have a secure place to call home and hope for a better future.”

720

Employment Center clients served; up 37% from 2022

culinary students graduated; 67% were employed within 30 days of graduation

16,000

total case management hours provided

2023 Award Winners

2023 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Free Health and Healing Clinic

Organization

Open Door Mission

Program

Free Health and Healing Clinic

Partners

Nebraska Medicine

Visiting Nurse Association

Foot and Ankle Center of Nebraska and Iowa

Clarkson Family Medicine/Nebraska Medicine

Contact Information

Free Health and Healing Clinic

Open Door Mission

2828 N. 23rd Street East
Omaha, NE 68110

Dr. Candace Gregory

President and Chief Executive Officer

402.422.1111

candace@opendoormission.org

More than 650,000 Americans experience homelessness each night in the U.S., a 12% increase from 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Many of those individuals have unmet physical and mental healthcare needs.

Open Door Mission was established in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1954, as a Gospel Rescue Mission committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Each day, Open Door Mission provides access to 917 safe shelter beds and serves 4,747 nutritious meals to vulnerable individuals and families. It also offers homelessness prevention services that empower financially vulnerable people to remain in their homes.

In 1994, Open Door Mission began providing free healthcare clinic visits in collaboration with local nursing schools. As the need for more comprehensive services grew, Open Door Mission expanded its partnerships with healthcare providers and opened the Free Health and Healing Clinic directly on Open Door Mission’s main campus in 1997. There, local doctors, nurses, pharmacists and specialists provide primary healthcare and preventive services.

In 2023, the Free Health and Healing Clinic facilitated 8,665 healthcare visits, acting as a critical lifeline for patients experiencing homelessness. Services include foot-care clinics to treat wounds created by inadequate footwear, pharmacy and diabetes clinics for patients who need help reviewing and managing their medications, heart and lung clinics, and mental health support services.

“The success achieved by Open Door Mission through its collaborative healthcare partnerships enables us to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens, which, in turn, also creates an economically and socially enriched community for all of Omaha’s residents,” said Dr. Candace Gregory, President and Chief Executive Officer of Open Door Mission.

“The Open Door Mission Free Health and Healing Clinic earned a Gold Rating from the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics’ (NAFC) Quality Standards Program in 2022,” Gregory added. “This top rating underscores the power of partnership in helping to deliver essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. It’s a model we hope other communities will look to as a compassionate, effective solution.”

8,665

Total visits to Free Health and Healing Clinic

585

Acute-care visits from prescribing partners

8,080

Total nurse visits

2023 Award Winners

2023 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Auberle’s Employment Institute

Organization

Auberle

Program

Auberle’s Employment Institute

Partners

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

Partner4Work

Contact Information

Auberle’s Employment Institute

Auberle

1101 Hartman Street
McKeesport, PA 15132

John Patrick Lydon

Chief Executive Officer

412.673.5856 x1310

johnly@auberle.org

Right now, there are more job openings in the U.S. than workers to fill them. All too often, otherwise-capable workers are shut out from these opportunities because they lack skills training or educational completion, or because of poverty, homelessness or former justice-system involvement.

Auberle is a nationally recognized human service agency that, each year, serves more than 4,000 individuals and families across southwestern Pennsylvania. Founded 70 years ago, Auberle’s mission is to transform lives through holistic and innovative services and programs aimed at building strong individuals, families and communities, and at breaking generational cycles of socioeconomic distress.

Auberle’s commitment to meeting community needs is exemplified by its flagship Employment Institute (EI). Established in 2013, EI is a workforce-development program that prepares unemployed and underemployed individuals of all ages and backgrounds for well-paying jobs, with benefits, in businesses across diverse industries. Auberle pairs its job-readiness training and 13 national certification programs with comprehensive social services so that its graduates not only obtain employment but also have the skills needed to maintain a career that changes the trajectory of their lives and their families’ lives for future generations.

Auberle partners with more than 260 employers, as well as the workforce-development organization Partner4Work, to create a steady pipeline of full-time job opportunities. One such partner is the nationally renowned UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. In just two years, more than 90 EI graduates have been placed in career-track positions at the hospital, many coming from vulnerable communities facing high rates of poverty and unemployment.

“Our ability to help UPMC Magee fill vacant positions with capable workers has enabled the hospital to extend its capabilities and thrive,” said John Lydon, Chief Executive Officer of Auberle. “We’ve replicated the EI model at hundreds of other businesses across the region, enabling our partners to grow and positively impact the communities they serve.”

“Today, we are the area’s go-to workforce- development program,” Lydon added. “We will continue to innovate new ways to fuel southwestern Pennsylvania’s talent engine and to remove barriers for segments of the population who face greater obstacles to employment.”

600+

Individuals served annually through Auberle’s Employment Institute

nationally recognized certification programs

260

employer partners

2023 Award Winners

2023 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

ALSC’s Community Justice Worker Project

Organization

Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Program

ALSC’s Community Justice Worker Project

Partners

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Inc.

Alaska Pacific University

Kodiak Area Native Association

Association of Village Council Presidents

Contact Information

ALSC’s Community Justice Worker Project

Alaska Legal Services Corporation

1016 West Sixth Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501

Maggie Humm

Interim Executive Director

907.272.9431

mhumm@alsc-law.org

In rural areas across the U.S., a growing shortage of attorneys has created so-called “legal deserts.” Within these communities, people often have little or no access to legal representation for civil procedures, putting their homes, benefits and safety at risk.

Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) is dedicated to ensuring that all Alaskans have access to civil justice, no matter their means or distance from a courthouse. This is crucial, as 90% of Alaskan communities are not accessible by road, and Alaska is home to 229 Alaska Native Tribes that also face barriers to legal access.

To address these issues, ALSC partnered with local Indigenous organizations to create the Community Justice Worker (CJW) Project. Launched in 2018, this bold initiative aims to bridge the justice gap by training non-attorney volunteers to address their communities’ unmet civil legal needs.

ALSC’s CJW Project borrowed inspiration from a program developed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) that addresses the shortage of healthcare professionals in remote areas. Using this blueprint, ALSC collaborated with community and Tribal leaders to create an inclusive, culturally competent solution to providing civil legal aid in underserved communities. CJWs are recruited from rural communities and provided training through free online modules that ALSC developed in partnership with ANTHC and Alaska Pacific University.

To enable CJWs to perform legal tasks, ALSC sought a first-of-its-kind legal waiver. The Alaska Supreme Court approved the waiver in 2022, allowing CJWs to legally represent clients for certain issues in state courts. ALSC’s CJW Project was also named one of the top-five access-to-justice solutions worldwide by the World Justice Challenge in 2019.

“Since 2022, CJWs, with support from ALSC, have completed 152 cases and secured $1.2 million in food benefits,” said Maggie Humm, Interim Executive Director of ALSC. “Their remarkable results demonstrate the project’s effectiveness in helping to close the justice gap. The American Bar Foundation is currently studying the program as a scalable solution to civil justice problems in the U.S. We’re eagerly awaiting their findings.”

400+

Community Justice Workers from 42 different communities have entered training

411

cases completed since 2022, 377 relating to food insecurity

$1.2

million in food benefits secured for clients

2023 Award Winners

2023 Frances R. Hesselbein Award Recipient

LUCA Scholars Program

Organization

Latino U College Access

Program

LUCA Scholars Program

Partners

Eight public high schools across lower Westchester County (NY)

Contact Information

LUCA Scholars Program

Latino U College Access

75 Virginia Road, 2nd Floor
White Plains, NY 10603

Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, MPA

Founder and Executive Director

914.828.0404

sab@latinou.org

Latinos make up the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group in the U.S. today, yet they trail other ethnic groups in completing higher education. Without a college degree, many won’t be able to qualify for even the entry-level jobs needed to build a good life for themselves and their families.

Latino U College Access (LUCA) was founded in 2012 to close the college-degree gap by helping Latino students overcome systemic barriers on their journeys to and through college. LUCA is one of the only college-access organizations whose mission specifically supports Latino students and their parents with culturally relevant, family-centered and bilingual programming.

LUCA’s groundbreaking Scholars Program works in collaboration with eight high schools in Westchester County, NY, to help high-achieving Latino students prepare for and succeed in college. All of LUCA’s partner schools serve economically disadvantaged students and have a high Latino student population of over 50%.

Students are nominated for the program in their junior year of high school by school counselors, based on academic qualifications. Scholars are then paired with one of LUCA’s highly trained volunteer College Coaches, who guides them through the complex process of college admissions and financial aid. Coaches and the LUCA team also help students and parents make informed choices about college selection, academic fit and more. Once enrolled in college, LUCA continues to provide assistance and mentorship to help ensure Scholars graduate on time and are career ready.

“Improving college completion is imperative for the future of our youth and the economic growth of our country—and it’s the driving force behind the LUCA Scholars Program and its success. Ninety-three percent of our Scholars are enrolled in four-year universities, and 99% have graduated or are on track to graduate within four to six years, versus 28% and 51% of Latino students nationally,” said Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, MPA, Founder and Executive Director of LUCA.

“The LUCA Scholars Program offers school districts across the country a proven model for ensuring that talented first-generation Latino students have the opportunity to fulfill their academic potential and achieve their American dream,” concluded Acevedo Buontempo.

450

Scholars successfully enrolled in college

50%

Scholars attending “highly selective” institutions

87%

Young Center’s "best interests" determinations granted

2,589

Volunteer hours supporting the Class of 2024

2023 Award Winners

2023 National Award-Winning Program
Thomas J. Moran Award Recipient

Catalyst Kitchens

Organization

Catalyst Kitchens

Program

Catalyst Kitchens

Partners

90+ network members across 35 states

Watch the documentary

Contact Information

Catalyst Kitchens

Catalyst Kitchens

300 Lenora Street
PMB 1166
Seattle, WA 98121

Justin Smith

Executive Director

206.565.9980

justin.smith@catalystkitchens.org

Today, 37.9 million people in the U.S.—11.5% of the population—are living in poverty, with inadequate access to basic human needs such as food, clothing and shelter. But poverty isn’t just about a lack of money. It’s a complex, societal issue about disadvantage, marginalization and exclusion that perpetuates across generations, unless someone or something intervenes to change its course.

Catalyst Kitchens is a ground-breaking national member network of nonprofit organizations committed to breaking the cycle of poverty through tuition-free culinary training and job placement for individuals facing barriers to employment. This includes people who may be unsheltered, returning from incarceration or living with disabilities; those who have a history of mental health and substance-use issues; or individuals who are immigrants or refugees.

Today, Catalyst Kitchens’ network, which is member driven and member led, includes more than 90 members across 35 states, all engaged in culinary training, hunger relief and food-service social enterprise. By facilitating partnerships and collaboration among network members, Catalyst Kitchens is helping to source, organize and train on best practices that can enhance culinary job training programs and social enterprise interventions. In doing so, Catalyst Kitchens is leading the way in creating new pathways for lifting vulnerable individuals out of poverty and unemployment while relieving hunger in communities.

A key component of the services Catalyst Kitchens offers is their national and regional summits, which allow network members serving diverse populations to meet, mentor and learn from each other. Network members also have the ability to leverage Catalyst Kitchens’ vendor partners and discounts, and access its Network Resource Library.

Launched in 2023, the library uses an open-source, peer-to-peer model that makes it easy for members and partners to share program curriculums, business tools, social service how-tos and vital techniques. These resources are curated and organized to help maximize impact.

“Collaboration can be a potent force in driving impact, especially when solving pressing social justice issues, like poverty, joblessness and hunger,” said Justin Smith, Executive Director, Catalyst Kitchens. “The Catalyst Kitchens network model offers a visionary road map for nonprofits that see partnership and open resource sharing as the future of this work.”

22,423

Individuals enrolled and trained since 2011

18,415

Job placements since 2011

130

Million meals served to those in need since 2011

2023 Award Winners

2022 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Work and Life Skills Training Program

Organization

Wildflyer Coffee

Program

Work and Life Skills Training Program

Partners

Emerge

AVIVO

Contact Information

Work and Life Skills Training Program

Wildflyer Coffee

3262 Minnehaha Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Carley Kammerer

Founder and Executive Director

612.236.4978

More than 7,500 young people across Minnesota, many of them in the Twin Cities area, experience homelessness on any given night. A lack of stable employment is often the top barrier they face in getting and keeping permanent housing. Yet, research shows that people experiencing homelessness can and do succeed at work—if they’re given the opportunity to learn how.

The Work and Life Skills Training Program was created in 2020 by Wildflyer Coffee to address the growing challenges of youth homelessness and housing instability in Minneapolis and surrounding areas. This unique employment and life skills training program aims at helping teens and young adults find and maintain mainstream employment. Founded in 2017, Wildflyer Coffee is a nonprofit social enterprise.

Individuals ages 16–24 facing housing instability or homelessness participate in Wildflyer Coffee’s four-month paid program, which provides on-the-job training in either its brick-and-mortar coffee shop or its e-commerce and wholesale supplier stores. That training is paired with a professional work and life skills development curriculum that teaches crucial, transferrable soft skills such as customer service, professional communication, handling emotions in challenging settings, and teamwork. Participants also earn continuing education credit for courses such as Customer Service, Financial Literacy and Housing 101.

Toward the end of the program, they receive next-step career and educational counseling to help them identify their interests and guide them to the future of their choosing.

“Rather than providing temporary, short-term solutions that address symptoms rather than root causes, the Work and Life Skills Training Program creates a straightforward journey out of homelessness,” said Carley Kammerer, Founder and Executive Director of Wildflyer Coffee.

“Through our collaboration with our workforce, community development case management service and other partners, we’re demonstrating that we can provide social and financial benefits to youth experiencing homelessness—as well as to our larger community. We look forward to expanding Wildflyer Coffee with the opening of a second location in Minneapolis early in 2023, and to sharing our program with nonprofit leaders across the country.”

$15.00

hourly wages for program participants

93%

of youth enter the program unemployed

80%

of program graduates are either employed or enrolled in an educational opportunity and have been stably housed

2023 Award Winners

2022 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Safer Tomorrows Road Map

Organization

Community Violence Intervention Center

Program

Safer Tomorrows Road Map

Partner

Grand Forks Public Schools

Contact Information

Safer Tomorrows Road Map

Community Violence Intervention Center

211 S 4th Street
Grand Forks, ND 58201

Coiya Tompkins

President and Chief Executive Officer

701.746.0405

Violence against children and teens can have lifelong consequences, whether the violence stems from bullying and harassment online or by peers, maltreatment by family members or friends, or victimization and abuse by others in their community.

In fact, studies show that exposure to violence, especially at an early age, increases the risks of injury, delayed cognitive development, poor school performance and dropout, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems and criminal behavior. Schools can offer an important space where children can learn and develop positive behaviors that could prevent violence in the first place.

The North Dakota-based Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) established programming with Grand Forks Public Schools (GFPS) in 2001 that led to the creation of the Safer Tomorrows Road Map—a groundbreaking and comprehensive program that provides healthy relationship education, violence prevention programs and therapy services to K–12 students. The goal of the Safer Tomorrows Road Map is to disrupt cultural norms and end interpersonal violence in two generations.

Stopping violence before it begins is paramount to CVIC’s mission. Founded in 1980, CVIC is the only organization in the region to holistically address the community-wide issue of interpersonal violence by supporting adult and child survivors, as well as community bystanders and the individuals who have caused harm.

“Safe and supportive school environments positively impact academic, behavioral and mental health outcomes for students. The Safer Tomorrows Road Map leverages its partnership with GFPS to ensure that children and teens receive a prevention-centered curriculum focused on building healthy relationships in age-appropriate ways,” said Coiya Tompkins, President and CEO of CVIC.

“Using an evidence-based and evidence-informed curriculum, we’re helping students enhance their communication, conflict-management and problem-solving skills, and assisting them in building positive family and peer-to-peer relationships. Our Safer Tomorrows Road Map has received national recognition for creating a cultural shift in how schools and communities can equip children for a better life, free from violence. We look forward to helping other school districts to replicate this program and its success.”

85%

of students showed an increase in their understanding of healthy relationships

90%

of youth in therapy sessions said they have experienced increased emotional well-being

reduction in reported dating violence since 2020

I feel less stressed with things than I would before, because I can talk about them with someone who is confidential.”
Student

Grand Forks Public Schools

2023 Award Winners

2022 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative

Organization

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri

Program

Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative

Partner

Five prominent law firms in St. Louis, Missouri

Contact Information

Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri

2700 N 14th Street
St. Louis, MO 63106

Peter Hoffman

Managing Attorney of the Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative

314.256.8778

Soaring home prices in cities like New York and Los Angeles have drawn attention to the urgent need to increase the supply of affordable housing in the U.S. Yet, there is another serious drag on housing that demands attention: the growing number of vacant and abandoned properties that are threatening public safety, lowering property values and degrading the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods across the country.

In 2018, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Legal Services) launched the Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative (NVI) to address the growing and intractable issue of neighborhood blight in St. Louis’ urban core. Now one of the largest pro bono community development efforts in the nation, NVI, in collaboration with five of St. Louis’ top law firms, provides access to free legal services to empower individuals and resident-led community associations to take control of their neighborhoods.

Since 1956, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri has provided free civil (noncriminal) legal services designed to help individuals and families access safe, affordable housing, healthcare and public benefits; protect their children’s well-being; escape domestic violence; and resolve immigration issues.

Through its Neighborhood Vacancy Initiative, Legal Services staff members provide training to help its volunteer attorneys handle community action cases. At the same time, they also provide legal education to neighborhood associations and other community members.

“Parcel by parcel, block by block, we’re collaborating with our volunteer attorneys to help neighborhood advocates tackle disinvestment and displacement that feed the problem of neighborhood blight,” said Daniel K. Glazier, Executive Director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.

“Resolving these and other issues around homeownership opens the door to economic development, neighborhood revitalization and business activity expansion that can improve the safety and quality of life for everyone in the community. NVI provides a clear example of how Legal Services can partner with private law firms to equip neighborhoods in cities across the country with the tools needed to drive equitable and inclusive recovery and growth.”

152

volunteer attorneys; 27 student interns

8,658+

hours of pro bono services provided

$1.7

million in free legal assistance for St. Louis neighborhoods

We had an apartment building that caught fire. A lot of times in our neighborhood, when buildings catch on fire, they just stay burnt out. We reached out to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to ask, ‘What can be done about this?’ It’s good to have that relationship where they’ll get back to us and give us some information.”
Tonnie Glispie-Smith

Homeowner

2023 Award Winners

2022 Honorable Mention Award Recipient

Give Items of Value

Organization

United Way of the Plains

Program

Give Items of Value

Partner

Good360

Contact Information

Give Items of Value

United Way of the Plains

245 N Water Street
Wichita, KS 67202

Pete Najera

President and Chief Executive Officer

316.267.1321

Each year, excess inventory and unsold goods pile up in warehouses, offices and stores, taking up valuable space and creating a serious financial drag on manufacturers and retailers. What if companies could make better use of unwanted and returned stock—and benefit others at the same time?

United Way of the Plains launched the Give Items of Value (GIV) program in 1984 to create a bridge between national retailers and other big businesses with excess inventory and nonprofit organizations in south central Kansas whose tight budgets limit their ability to purchase critical supplies to support their mission. Working in collaboration with Good360, which sources truckloads of unwanted merchandise from for-profit organizations, United Way of the Plains receives surplus inventory in its 11,000-square-foot warehouse. Volunteers then inventory, sort and stock donated items so that schools, 501(c) organizations and other nonprofit organizations can “shop” for the items they need, free of charge.

United Way of the Plains was founded in 1922 to improve lives by harnessing the caring power of the community so that all individuals and families can achieve their full human potential. A century later, the organization’s collective impact continues to grow. For every dollar donated, United Way of the Plains creates $2.20 worth of impact within the community.

“The Give Items of Value program plays a critical role in the nonprofit landscape in south central Kansas,” said Pete Najera, CEO and President of United Way of the Plains.

“By donating excess goods, corporate America can reduce inventory in a socially responsible way and earn tax benefits. Nonprofits can maximize the dollars going to their direct services by accessing highly needed items at no charge. And communities can be strengthened as excess retail items, from office supplies and electronics to furniture and personal needs products, are put into the hands of individuals and families who need them most. Through replication of this program nationwide, Give Items of Value demonstrates how strong partnerships can help drive innovative solutions to some of society’s toughest social issues.”

$2.6 million

in goods distributed in 2022

246

nonprofit agency shoppers

17.75

semi-truck loads of donations received from the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Park City, KS

I enjoy telling people in the business community about this unique program. They are always so impressed that their single financial donation is leveraged to help nearly 250 nonprofit agencies meet the tangible needs of their clients while simultaneously lowering their expenses.”
Pete Najera

President and Chief Executive Officer, United Way of the Plains

2023 Award Winners