And the 2010 Purpose Prize Winners Are…

Ten individuals have been awarded up to $100,000 for their work to improve their communities and the world. From fighting U.S. foreclosures to taking on powerful polluters to rebuilding Afghanistan, this year’s Purpose Prize winners are working on community-based issues from the ground up -- and getting results. You can read about all 10 of the 2010 winners below.

Watch videos of the five $100,000 winners Read about the 46 individuals named 2010 Purpose Prize fellows. Now in its fifth year, The Purpose Prize has recognized more than 300 winners and fellows for making extraordinary contributions in their encore careers. Learn more about The Prize.

Five adults over 60 have been awarded the $100,000 Purpose Prize for their work and five have been awarded the $50,000 Purpose Prize.

This year’s $100,000 winners are:
Allan Barsema of Rockford, Ill., who creates innovative online networks of social service agencies to ensure that homeless people get the help they need quickly, efficiently and effectively. More >
Barry Childs of Marylhurst, Ore., who improves the lives of vulnerable children and their families in Tanzania by creating farming cooperatives, building classrooms and opening clinics. More >
Margaret Gordon of Oakland, Calif., who connected the asthma that plagued her low-income community to the pollution of the nearby port, she has fought to improve the area’s environmental health. More >
Inez Killingsworth of Cleveland, who helps homeowners avoid foreclosure by negotiating with banks for more favorable terms on mortgages. More >
Judith Van Ginkel of Cincinnati, who leads a program that provides in-home services for first-time, at-risk mothers – including parenting support – to improve the lives of young families. More >
The $50,000 winners for 2010 are:
Barbara Allen of Lafayette Hills, Pa., who engages children as philanthropists to create artwork that brings in donations that pay for desperately needed art supplies for inner-city Philadelphia schools. More >
Dana Freyer of New York City, who helps rural Afghans alleviate poverty, build sustainable livelihoods and restore their environment by revitalizing woodlots, vineyards and orchards. More >
Hubert Jones of Boston, who brings children together to sing songs of hope, faith and promise, uniting young people across differences of race, religion and economic status. More >
Donald Stedman of Raleigh, N.C., who counsels schools on the best ways to engage seriously disabled students, then helps to assess technological and teacher training needs. More >
Bo Webb of Whitesville, W. Va., a community organizer who is building a movement to stop mountaintop removal, an environmentally destructive method of mining for coal. More >

This year’s 46 Purpose Prize fellows are working on issues including providing quality end-of-life care to terminally ill children, increasing affordable housing options, training professionals to investigate war crimes, addressing chronic unemployment, promoting alternative fuel sources to protect the environment, providing culturally relevant support services to immigrants, preparing prisoners for finding jobs and rescuing teenage girls from prostitution.