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Purpose Prize
The Purpose Prize honors outstanding career-changers over age 60 who find new ways to solve tough social problems. The annual winners, who receive up to $100,000 apiece, have demonstrated a passion to change the world — and they have the experience to do it. Encore Careers, a nonprofit think tank focused on older people, created the Purpose Prize in 2006. For the last two years, AARP sponsored one of the awards, the Purpose Prize for Intergenerational Innovation.
meet the
2012 winner
meet some
past winners
2011
Jenny Bowen
Do You Want to Change the World?
Jenny Bowen did it. She quit Hollywood to help China's orphans. Watch
Randal Charlton
Putting the Big Mo Back in Motor City
Entrepreneur Randal Charlton is helping to put Detroit's economy back in high gear. Watch
Nancy Hughes
Saving Lives One Stove at a Time
Nancy Hughes had a better idea: deliver safe, low-cost stoves the world over. Watch
Wanjiru Kamau
Helping Immigrants Find Their Way in America
Wanjiru Kamau draws from her own experience to introduce Africans to a new life. Watch
Edward Mazria
Assembling a Toolbox for Green Buildings
Architect Edward Mazria helps others increase energy-efficiency, decrease pollution. Watch
2010
Allan Barsema
Helping the Homeless
In launching Carpenter's Place, an outreach center for the homeless in Rockford, Ill., Barsema found his "life calling." Watch
2009
Marcy Adelman; the Aldermans; Duncan Campbell
Interviews with some of the winners
Adelman's Openhouse project advocates for affordable, LGBT-friendly senior housing. Through the Peter C. Alderman Foundation, Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman honor their son, killed on 9/11, by bringing mental health treatment to trauma victims around the world. Campbell's Friends of the Children matches mentors with at-risk children for 12 years, no matter what. Listen
Judith Broder
Healing America's Heroes
Judith Broder's Soldiers Project provides therapy for veterans who have post traumatic stress disorder. Watch
James Smallwood
Keeping a Promise
In 1989 Smallwood, a carpenter, made a promise to God that if he could sober up, he'd devote his life to helping others. Read
2008
Arlene Blum
Good Chemistry
Arlene Blum's Green Science Policy Institute tests furniture for potentially hazardous chemicals. Listen
Barbara Cervone
Jay Davidson
One Day at a Time
Recovering alcoholic Jay Davidson founded The Healing Place to help those grappling with addiction. Listen
Catalino Tapia
Cultivating the Next Generation
Tapia's Bay Area Gardener's Foundation gives scholarships to economically disadvantaged Latino students. Read
Photos and video footage of The Purpose Prize® winners are copyright © Civic Ventures. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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