World of Children Awards

 The World of Children Awards are named in honor of two legendary philanthropists whose unwavering commitments to children have left permanent marks on the communities around them. These child advocates are Hannah Neil, a Columbus, Ohio, native who dedicated her life to caring for poor women and children who were left homeless in the late 1800s, and W.K. Kellogg, a successful businessman who invested his cereal empire fortune in efforts to help young people. By giving back to their communities and by responding to the needs of the young people around them, these two philanthropists created legacies of caring for the world of children.

VISIONARY & CO-FOUNDER
WORLD OF CHILDREN 
HARRY LEIBOWITZ

At the age of 13 Harry Leibowitz found himself without a father who had suddenly passed away in the middle of the night. Within a few weeks the family’s furniture had been repossessed and young Harry had no choice but to take a night job to support his family. Harry’s first job was in a local bakery cleaning pans and floors but soon the young man was promoted to a baker’s assistant and eventually he became a baker. These were difficult times for the family, so Harry did what he needed to do in providing for his Mother, Grandmother and sister. Harry graduated from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY and went on to Brooklyn College where he received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees...all the time working nights in the bakery. He later did his doctoral work at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Many years later after successful tours with The Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, The Playtex Division of Esmark, Inc. where he lived and worked in Europe, Swift Meats in Canada, Harry returned to the United States and started his own marketing & consulting company in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1996 while recovering and convalescing in his home from cancer surgery Harry happened to come across a television program about the history of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes. It struck Harry at the time he was watching the program that there were no prizes or categories for winners working on behalf of children, nor were there any prizes named after women.

Coming from a very modest background, Harry had always been involved in charity whether it was the giving of his time or money. Contributing his energy and passion to making the world a better and safer place for children, especially children who had been the victims of violence was a strong personal interest. Having two children of his own, and having lived and worked around the world, Harry understood the effort, caring and love it took to raise children, especially in difficult and underprivileged environments.

Harry partnered his concept with longtime friends from Bob Evans, America West Airlines, Mills James, Lord Sullivan & Yoder and the Kroger Company. For years, Harry had worked closely with the Hannah Neil Center for Children as an advocate, fund raiser and financial supporter. When he approached the Hannah Neil Foundation Board with his idea to use the Hannah Neil name to lend prestige and notoriety to the World of Children award, an agreement was quickly reached. The partnership was formed and the Hannah Neil Center became the Charter Charity for the World of Children. Starr Commonwealth of Albion, Michigan, is the parent organization to The Hannah Neil Center. Their leadership under Arlin Ness, CEO supported Harry’s concept from the beginning. It was Starr Commonwealth that brought both Muhammad Ali and Kellogg’s into the family of the World of Children.

Over the last several years the dedication, financial support and hard work of the Hannah Neil Center Foundation Board has propelled the annual award’s banquet, where the honorees and winner of the Kellogg’s award are announced, to regional and national prominence.
 

 Hannah Neil (1795-1868)

In 1835, Columbus, Ohio, became a major stop for the pioneers heading West along the National Road. A growing population of fatherless families and the tribulations of frontier life brought a tremendous increase in poverty and hardship.

Through generosity and compassion, one particular woman came to be known among the poor. She was Hannah Neil, wife of prominent local businessman William Neil, and co-founder of Columbus' first charity, the Female Benevolent Society, which was founded in 1835. Neil worked tirelessly to deliver food and clothing to poor families in her community - she even went so far as to donate her own belongings, including her entire wardrobe and her feather bed, when donations were unavailable.

Years later, in an effort to lift local poor and homeless children out of poverty, Neil organized a day school to teach these children life skills to enable them to care for themselves. A trailblazer for her time, Neil also helped acquire a shelter for homeless children and their families, the first "residential" charity in Columbus. The home was immediately filled to capacity. Several years later, Neil raised money to purchase a mansion that could provide homes to additional children and families. The facility became the Hannah Neil Mission and Home for the Friendless, and was in existence for more than 100 years.

Today, more than 140 years later, Neil's courage and vision live on at the Hannah Neil Center for Children. This Starr Commonwealth program serves children who suffer from severe behavioral and emotional difficulties, often resulting from issues of child abuse.

In her time, Hannah Neil quietly improved the world of children around her. In the hopes of inspiring others to carry on her legacy of child advocacy and dedication to those in need, the Kellogg's Hannah Neil World of Children Award is named in her honor.

 W.K. Kellogg (1860 - 1951)

Will Keith Kellogg, founder of Kellogg Company and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is best known as the ready-to-eat cereal giant, and his familiar signature has adorned the cereal boxes of generations of families worldwide. At the same time, he is also recognized as one of the United States' greatest philanthropists, having dedicated a large part of his life and virtually his entire personal fortune to improving opportunities for children, families and communities around the world. 

Born in 1860, Kellogg lacked a formal education beyond the sixth grade. However, a determination to succeed and a strong work ethic enabled him to have amassed a vast fortune by the time of his death in 1951. He chose to use his fortune to enrich the lives of young people in his hometown and around the world.

Understanding the obstacles of poverty and lack of education, Kellogg became convinced that the most good could be accomplished by helping young people succeed. In 1925, he established the Fellowship Corporation, under which he donated nearly 3 million dollars to local causes in his hometown of Battle Creek, Mich., such as the Ann J. Kellogg School for handicapped children, a civic auditorium, a junior high school, and a youth recreation center.

After being named a delegate at a White House Conference on Child Health and Protection by President Herbert Hoover, Kellogg became even more determined to help serve the needs of children. He continued to give generously to children's causes including aid for British orphans of World War I, the blind, and several hospital and medical programs. In 1930, the W.K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation was established, and within a few months, he broadened the focus of the charter and renamed it the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The foundation's mission has always been "to promote the health, happiness and well-being of children." Preferring long-term solutions to short-term handouts, Kellogg believed that "education offers the greatest opportunity for truly improving one generation over another." 

Today, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provides programs in the fields of health, education, agriculture and leadership in the United States and all over the world. Focusing largely on youth and education, the Foundation currently supports more than 3,700 projects including America's Promise, American Council on Education and the Children's Defense Fund.

Like Kellogg's Foundation, the company he founded cares about the well being of children and communities throughout the world. The Kellogg Company supports a variety of programs through the Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, including the Kellogg's Hannah Neil World of Children Award. 

As a major sponsor of the Award, the Kellogg Corporate Citizenship Fund seeks to lift up those child advocates who, like Kellogg, dedicate their time and energies toward serving the needs of children in their communities and around the world.