Let the voting begin

We profile three more excellent ministries in this issue. This time they're from the Northeast-Rock Ministries in Philadelphia, Penn., Long Island Youth Mentoring in Long Island, N.Y., and Straight Ahead Ministries in Lynn, Mass.-but they share the same DNA as the nine profiled in the previous three months: Strong commitment to Christ, self-sacrificing leaders and volunteers, perseverance despite organizational poverty.

It was hard once again to select a regional winner, but our investigative team and I chose the Philadelphia group, Rock Ministries. Rock joins in our Final Four the Western winner, New Horizons of Cañon City, Colo.; the Midwestern winner, Freedom for Youth of Des Moines; and the Southern winner, Advance Memphis. Please read and watch profiles and short videos of all four at worldmag.com/compassion.

Once you've read and watched, please vote-one vote per person-for the ministry you think best embodies effective compassion, the kind that not only sympathizes with the needy but helps them rise out of misery (voting ended Aug. 26, 2010). Subscribers' votes will determine the national winner, which we plan to announce at a Sept. 16 dinner in New York City.

Each regional winner has garnered not only publicity but $5,000, courtesy of the American Bible Society; the national winner will receive not only laud and honor but $5,000 more. Click here to listen to WORLD editor in chief Marvin Olasky discuss with Alisa Harris the Northeast regional finalists.