FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                   Contact:              Christina Batcheler

April 10, 2008                                                                                     Youth Service America

                                                                                                          202-296-2992 x 128

                                                                                                          cbatcheler@ysa.org

THE HARRIS WOFFORD AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

A Young Person, Organization, and National Magazine Win Prestigious Service Award

WASHINGTON– (April 4, 2008) – Youth Service America announces the recipients of the Harris Wofford Awards, that honor those who are making service and service-learning the common expectation and common experience of every young person. CosmoGirl! Magazine, Humane Society Youth, and Trevor Dougherty (15), with special recognition for the Peace Jam Foundation, will be awarded the prestigious Harris Wofford Award as part of the State Farm Awards Celebration at the 19th annual National Service-Learning Conference in Minneapolis on April 10, 2008.

"During the last 60 years, Harris Wofford has been a driving force in the power of people, particularly youth, to change the world for the better," says Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. "This award recognizes both a demonstrated record towards this vision, and the potential to bring more young people to the tables of community leadership," Culbertson adds.

The three winners will receive plaques commemorating their achievements and Trevor, the individual youth recipient, will be awarded a $500 educational scholarship, with an additional $500 to be donated to the nonprofit service organization of his choice to support program activities.

A former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Harris Wofford was named chairman of America’s Promise in January 2002.  Mr. Wofford, who also serves on the boards of Youth Service America and America’s Promise, has dedicated much of his life to the goal of making citizen service a common expectation and experience for all Americans. Mr. Wofford played a key role in both crafting and working to pass the trailblazing legislation that created AmeriCorps, the Learn and Serve America program and the Corporation for National and Community Service. He was an instrumental figure in organizing the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997, which established America’s Promise.

After helping launch the Peace Corps, Mr. Wofford held the post of special assistant to President John F. Kennedy, as well as chairman of the White House Sub-Cabinet Group on Civil Rights from 1961 to 1962. He also served as counsel for the U.S. Committee on Civil Rights and trustee to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change.

The Harris Wofford Award Winners:

Media Winner: CosmoGIRL! Magazine

CosmoGIRL! empowers and inspires young women to be leaders in all aspects of their lives. From setting the latest trends to standing up for what they believe in, their 8 million readers were born to lead. CosmoGIRL! received a Media Partnership Award from the National Eating Disorders Association, in recognition of the magazine's work toward promoting a positive body image. A few of their signature editorial and marketing initiatives include: 100 Best Colleges for Girls, CosmoGIRL! Annual Born to Lead Awards, and The CosmoGIRL! Challenge. CosmoGIRL! publishes 10 issues annually, and its online counterpart is www.cosmogirl.com, offering web-savvy readers more opportunities to interact with the magazine. CosmoGIRL! was named "Startup of the Year"; by Adweek magazine in 2000 and was named to Advertising Age's "A List" among the top three magazines of 2003. For more information: http://www.cosmogirl.com.

Organization Winner: Humane Society Youth

Humane Society Youth serves as the youth education affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States, which is the nation's largest animal protection organization. They have worked since 1973 to educate young people about kindness and respect for all animals and their natural habitats, activate youths in efforts to protect animals, and provide teaching materials, professional development, and other support to teachers and humane educators.  The Humane Society Youth is dedicated to implementing a strategy that focuses on working with educators, community leaders, youths, and youth-based clubs to educate about the power of youth engagement and service-learning around the humane treatment of animals. Their flagship program, Mission: Humane, positions young people from kindergarten through high school as community assets and resources around the issues of the Humane Society. For more information: www.humanesociety.org/youth.

Youth Winner: Trevor Dougherty (15)

Trevor exemplifies the 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference theme, Youth for a Change through the many projects he has initiated and completed. By age 13, he raised nearly $3,000 to fight poverty in Uganda and to assist an AIDS orphanage in South Africa — two issues he continues to work toward. This year, he began producing Internet videos to raise awareness for a variety of causes. One of his videos received so many views on You Tube that he was named a "select" homepage editor and controlled the videos highlighted on the site for four days. As a You Tube editor, he was able to promote videos that raised awareness for Christmas Future, Avaaz.org, and videos focusing on Darfur and world peace. For more information: http://www.youtube.com/maddogza.                                                      

*Special Recognition Winner: PeaceJam Foundation

PeaceJam Foundation is an international a service-learning-based, K-12 program headquartered in Denver. Founded in 1996 with the support of 12 Nobel Peace Laureates, PeaceJam's goal is to create a new generation of young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities, and in the world. Since its inception, over 500,000 youths have participated in the PeaceJam program, engaging in over 310,000 service-learning projects.

Through PeaceJam programs, young people study the lives and work of the Nobel Peace Laureates and the strategies they use to address community and global issues through non-violence. Youths then design and carry out service-learning projects to address issues in their own communities.

In 2006, PeaceJam launched the Global Call to Action — a 10-year campaign asking youths to do service-learning projects that address the root causes of the most pressing issues facing the world today including racism, extreme poverty, environmental degradation, and human rights issues. For more information: http://www.peacejam.org.

About Youth Service America: Youth Service America seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles.  Founded in 1986, YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations, and governments.  For more information: www.YSA.org.

About the National Service-Learning Conference: Originating in Minnesota in 1989, The National Service-Learning Conference is the largest gathering of youths and adults involved in the service-learning movement. Each year, it draws nearly 3,000 attendees from across the United States and around the globe. The 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference^® is a program of NYLC, sponsored by the State Farm Companies Foundation in partnership with Youth Service America. For more information: http://www.nylc.org.

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