And the winner is . . .

The voting was close, but Freedom for Youth in Des Moines, Iowa, is the winner of the 2010 Hope Award for Effective Compassion, an annual award presented by WORLD Magazine and the American Bible Society. Advance Memphis (Memphis, Tenn.) finished second, followed by Rock Ministries (Philadelphia), and New Horizons (Canon City, Colo.).

All four ministries had won regional competitions in the spring, receiving at that time laud, honor, and $5,000. Freedom for Youth, which received the most votes from our readers in an online poll, now receives an additional $5,000, compliments of the American Bible Society. The next issue of WORLD will report on Thursday night's reception and ceremony in New York, where the winner was announced. (See "Midwest hope," by Marvin Olasky, Oct. 9, 2010.)

Meanwhile, be sure to read Freedom for Youth's profile from WORLD's May 22 issue and watch a video that shows the ministry at work.

To read profiles and watch videos of all 12 finalists from all four regions, visit our Hope Award page. We hope that such coverage will spotlight the work of these organizations and suggest to others the opportunity to go and do likewise.