Midwest hope | by Marvin Olasky
WORLD Magazine and the American Bible Society (ABS) are pleased to announce the national winner of the 2010 Hope Awards for Effective Compassion: Freedom for Youth in Des Moines, Iowa. The winning ministry, along with the three other regional finalists—South winner Advance Memphis (Memphis, Tenn.), Northeast winner Rock Ministries (Philadelphia), and West winner New Horizons (Cañon City, Colo.)—were honored at a reception and ceremony on Sept. 16 at ABS headquarters in New York City. (See "And the winner is . . . ," by Marvin Olasky, Sept. 17, 2010.)
Since 2006, WORLD has recognized small organizations that work in big ways to help those in need.
For the 2010 Hope Awards competition, WORLD announced one winner and two other finalists in each of four regions: West, Midwest, South, and Northeast. These organizations were honored at regional Hope Awards dinners across the country, where ABS, co-sponsor of this contest, awarded a cash prize of $5,000 to each regional winner.
Over the summer WORLD readers cast their votes for the Final Four ministry they thought best embodied effective compassion, the kind that not only sympathizes with the needy but also helps them rise out of misery. In a close vote, Freedom for Youth came out on top as the national winner and was awarded an additional $5,000 from ABS.
Be sure to read the profiles and watch the videos of all 12 finalists (see links in each regional section below). We hope that such coverage will spotlight the work of these organizations and suggest to others the opportunity to go and do likewise.
Self-healing hood:
Advance Memphis is in an all-out fight against ghetto nihilism
by Daniel Olasky
Hillside hideaway
Wears Valley shows traumatized kids how to live
by Daniel Olasky
The lowest place
Jail ministry meets inmates at the very bottom—and teaches them that they matter
by Daniel Olasky
Finding freedom
Plagued by teen pregnancy and poverty, inner-city kids gain the confidence to break that cycle at Freedom For Youth
by Daniel Olasky
Making new friends
Exodus offers refugees in America something very few have: someone to trust
by Daniel Olasky
Dreaming big
God has a purpose for the lives of the developmentally disabled, and Shepherds College aims to help them find it
by Daniel Olasky
Surrogate parents
New Horizons builds relationship triangles with prisoners and their newborn children
by Daniel Olasky
‘It was a calling’
With God at the center of everything it does, Christ Clinic fills a hole in the medical system
by Daniel Olasky
Loving discipline
Troubled teens find mentors and more at Youth Horizons
by Daniel Olasky
A rock in a hard place
In a neighborhood filled with hopelessness, Rock Ministries provides consistency, family, and more
by Daniel Olasky
Building bridges
New York program uses the power of mentoring to reach fatherless youth
by Daniel Olasky
Sharing a vision
Straight Ahead Ministries takes the toughest gang members and shows them the possibility of a new life
by Daniel Olasky
