Encore.org is building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world.
The six 2015 winners of The Purpose Prize from Encore.Org have been announced by Purpose Prize Director Eunice Lin Nichols. EngAGE congratulates these exceptional people whose “second acts” are making significant contributions to the world:
- Journalist Laurie Ahern, 61, became an advocate for children with disabilities held in abusive institutions, fighting torture, training activists and changing lives in 36 countries. ($100,000 Purpose Prize)
- Micro-lending champion Patricia Foley Hinnen, 62, capitalizes on equality and economic justice through bonds that have funded 11,000 microloans in the fight against the “feminization of poverty.” ($25,000 Purpose Prize for Financial Inclusion, sponsored by MetLife Foundation)
- Former Black Panther Jamal Joseph, 62, has created a refuge where thousands of young people escape the violence in their lives, learn leadership skills and create art for social change. ($25,000 Purpose Prize)
- Samuel Lupin, 77, has modernized the tradition of house calls, with two generations’ support, bringing much-needed health care to 4,000 homebound elderly patients. ($25,000 Purpose Prize for Intergenerational Collaboration, sponsored by The Eisner Foundation)
- Far beyond the pulpit, teacher-turned-Episcopal-priest Belle Mickelson, 67, helps young and old fiddle in harmony, building connections in 29 remote Alaskan villages. ($25,000 Purpose Prize for Intergenerational Impact, sponsored by The Eisner Foundation)
- Former New York State Judge Laura Safer Espinoza, 62, moved from the courtroom to Florida’s growing fields bringing human rights and economic justice to over 30,000 farmworkers. ($25,000 Purpose Prize)
Watch brief videos of each of the winners here. Learn more about Encore.org here.
