Hannah Neil 
World of Children Awards

UNICEF is at the forefront of the world’s efforts on behalf of children, working with governments and civil society partners on a wide range of programs – from immunization and education to protecting young people from armed conflict and HIV/AIDS. The list of dedicated professionals who have worked or are presently working with UNICEF is filled with the names of those who are leaders in their field. Recently, two such individuals, noted pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., and Dr. Glendon P. Nimnicht, Ed.D., were recognized for their lifelong contributions to children at the Hannah Neil World of Children Awards.

World of Children, Inc. (WOC), which bestows the awards annually, is a U.S. non-governmental organization located in Columbus, Ohio. WOC seeks to identify individuals across the globe who have gone beyond the normal boundaries of their work to advance the rights and well being of children. By honoring children's advocates, WOC hopes to bring them, their work and their organizations to the forefront of international acclaim and attention.

Created in 1998, WOC has since grown to encompass three distinct awards. Founding sponsor Kellogg’s presents the $100,000 Kellogg’s Child Development Award honoring an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to children’s futures by greatly improving their opportunities to learn and grow. Cardinal Health presents the $100,000 Cardinal Health Children’s Care Award recognizing an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the health and well-being of children. The $15,000 Founder’s Award recognizes one young person who is making an extraordinary contribution to children.

Dr. Brazelton of Boston, MA, the recipient of the 2002 Cardinal Health Children’s Care Award, is the author of 30 books and 200 scholarly papers. Among his many important contributions is his Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, which measures a newborn infant’s capacity to respond to sights and sounds. Dr. Brazelton’s UNICEF contributions include the 30-minute 1995 film “Growing & Changing” in which he and U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton are featured. This animated live-action program provides parents with knowledge, strategies and resources to enhance children's development during the first seven years of life and is available through UNICEF.

Dr. Nimnicht, of Sabaneta, Colombia, a leader in the field of integrated early childhood development collaborated with UNICEF many times throughout his career and was honored to accept the Kellogg’s Child Development Award on behalf of CINDE. CINDE, founded by Dr. Nimnicht and his wife, Dr. Marta Arango de Nimnicht, was cited for improving the quality of life of those living in poverty in the U.S., Latin America and developing countries. The institute’s training program has trained thousands of child development specialists throughout the world. The Nimnichts also founded PROMESA, a community development project that now serves 7,000 families and is credited with sharply decreasing infant mortality and helping children stay in school.

Muhammad Ali, UN Messenger for Peace and former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, is the honorary chairman of the World of Children and for the previous four years Leon Harris, senior anchor from CNN, has served as the emcee for the awards presentation celebration and dinner.
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is pleased to assist World of Children, Inc., in getting the word out about the 2003 Call for Nominations for the Hannah Neil World of Children Awards. For more information and to submit an individual for nomination, visit the World of Children web site: www.WorldofChildren.org or call World of Children at 614-491-3633.

Past Award Recipients
1998 William T. Sergeant, from Oak Ridge, Tennessee is Chairman of the International PolioPlus Committee of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
1999 Kathleen Magee, of Norfolk, Virginia is co-founder of Operation Smile, which organizes free surgery for birth defects in developing countries.
2000 Fr. William B. Wasson of Cuernivaca, Mexico, founder and director of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanon (“Our Little Brothers and Sisters”), a family of children’s homes in Mexico, Haiti and Central America.
2001 Sharadkumar Dicksheet, M.D., founder of the India Project in 1968. He has performed over 54,000 free surgeries on poor and needy children who suffer from congenital and other facial deformities.
2002 T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., of Boston, MA, received the Cardinal Health Children’s Care Award for his lifelong commitment to newborn babies, their families and support systems.
2002 Glendon P. Nimnicht, Ed. D., from Sabaneta, Columbia. Honored for his over 40 years of work in the field of integrated early childhood development, Dr. Nimnicht founded the Center for Education and Human Development, CINDE, which received the Kellogg’s Child Development Award.
2002 Craig Kielburger from Ontario, Canada, received the Founder’s Award. Presently a college student, Craig has been a child rights advocate since the age of 12 and is the founder of (Kids Can) Free the Children. In 2002, he was also nominated for a Nobel Peace prize.