By Jeremy Schmall,
Columbus Wired Columnist
November 2003
What the Nobel Prize is to those working for world peace, the World
of Children Awards, founded in 1998, is for those who dedicate their
lives to helping children. And from what I saw, they’re well on
their way.
Hosted by the eminently professional former CNN and current
Washington, D.C. ABC news anchor Leon Harris, the evening kicked off
with a children’s choir from Fifth Avenue Elementary and fifteen
year-old singing sensation Billy Gilman singing the World of
Children theme song, “Can You Hear Me?”
On the giant screen behind him, children from around the world asked
the same question, “Can you hear me?” The rest of the evening served
to answer that question.
Three cash awards and a handful of honors were given out over the
course of the evening, though all eight nominees were more than
deserving recipients.
The
$100,000 Kellogg’s Child Development Award went to Fani Lerner, the
former first lady of Parana, Brazil who worked to establish
countless programs for needy children, while at the same time
fighting through cancer, three surgeries, and 22 rounds of
chemotherapy.
Cardinal
Health, the title sponsor of the $100,000 Cardinal Health Children’s
Care Award, honored Dr. Martin Eichelberger, who founded the
National SAFE KIDS Campaign in 1988 and SAFE KIDS Worldwide in 2002.
Through massive education campaigns, policy efforts and funding, the
organizations have brought life-saving safety messages and community
interventions to hundreds of millions of children in 16 countries.
Eichelberger was nominated by the former Surgeon General of the
United States, C. Everett Koop.
One of the most touching stories was that of the12 year-old
Canadian, Ryan Hreljac, who was awarded the World of Children
Founder’s Award.
As a first grader, after learning of the diseased water supplies in
developing African countries, Ryan decided, at the age of six, that
he would raise enough money to build a fresh-water well for an
impoverished African community. After months of chores and community
fundraising, Ryan earned the money, around $3,000, to have a well
built near a primary school in northern Uganda. Since then he and
his organization, Ryan’s Well Foundation, have raised more than
$800,000 and built more than 70 wells in Africa.
Even
more impressive than his charitable works, though, was Ryan giving
half of his $15,000 scholarship to the other nominee in his
category, Dayro Javier Reyes Acostam, a young man of twenty, who has
worked tirelessly to help mentally challenged and disabled children
living in war-torn and poverty stricken areas of his native
Colombia.
So touching was Ryan’s offer that Bob Walter, Chairman and CEO of
Cardinal Health broke from his planned remarks in order to pledge
$7,500 to Ryan so that he could leave with the full $15,000 in
scholarship money that he’d been awarded. He also pledged $7,500 to Dayro. This brought tears to the 1,000 or so in attendance and
touched everyone in the theater.
Just as with Ryan’s story, a dedication and passion to helping
others resonated in the stories of each and every nominee. All of
the finalists were selected from hundreds of global applicants. The
World of Children’s International Advisory Council, headed by
Muhammad Ali, boxing legend and United Nation’s Ambassador of Peace,
chose the Honorees.
(Kellogg’s) Jetsum Pema, sister of the Dalai Lama, who has fed,
housed, and educated more than 26,000 exiled children of Tibet.
Claudia Gonzales Moreno of Murillo, Bolivia who began Alalay, a home
for the street children of Bolivia, when she was only 19. Each year
through Alalay, nearly 12,000 children work to overcome a history of
violence and abuse, receiving education and job training, and
learning how to become contributing members of society (Kellogg’s)
Dr. Elizabeth Jones, co-founder of the first full-service pediatric
hospitals in Northwestern Mexico, giving free treatment to those who
cannot afford medical help. (Cardinal Health)
Mehendra G. Mehta of Mumbai, India, who was also an Honoree for the
Cardinal award, was given a special honor by the World of Children
board, the Chairman’s Award, for his contributions to more than 20
million children in India and throughout the world.
Over and over again, we heard stories of tireless efforts, steely
resolve, and a selfless ambition to lend much-needed assistance to
starving, frightened, and forgotten children everywhere.
I
was touched by what I saw, but I was also challenged by it. Faced
with the stories of these eight large-hearted individuals who have
done such staggering amounts of work for underprivileged children,
who have sacrificed so much of their own lives to the betterment of
others, I couldn’t help but look at my own life and wonder what I’ve
accomplished in the past, and how I could help in the future.
With so much need and despair throughout the world, it’s easy to get
overwhelmed by how much work there is to be done. It was both
refreshing and inspiring to hear the stories of each of these eight
individuals, all of whom appeared at least a little embarrassed at
the attention they were getting. After all, you don’t accomplish
what they have in order to win awards or to be lavished with praise.
You’re too busy. Children are begging you to hear them. They wonder
if you can help.
Hearing them is the first step. And as these eight Honorees
demonstrated, supporting them should be next.
