The award winners:
Ida Johnson, Davenport, IA
Recipient of the National Community Reinvestment Award
Arc of Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii
Recipient of the James Leach Award
Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem, PA
Recipient of the James Rouse Award
Hon. Richard A. Cordray, Attorney General, State of Ohio, Columbus, OH,
Recipient of the Henry B. Gonzalez Award
Morris Williams, Convener Hamilton County Community Reinvestment Group, Cincinnati, OH
Recipient of the William H. Proxmire Award
Mascha & Manfred Poppenk, “Grown in Detroit,” The Netherlands
Recipient of the Community Empowerment Award
Daniel Gross, Westport, Conn.
Recipient of the Color of Money Award
About the award winners:
Ida Johnson, Recipient of the National Community Reinvestment Award
Ida Johnson has worked in Davenport, Iowa for over 36 years. She started United Neighbors (then called Central and Western) to help families provide structured activities to keep children out of trouble, bridge the technology gap, and stabilize homes through homeownership.
The programs at United Neighbors provide first-time homebuyer education, down payment assistance and a fully-staffed HUD certified housing counseling staff. Youth programs include an award-winning after school program and kids cafe. Dr. Johnson’s commitment to children and families in the Quad City Area has caused her to be widely regarded as a mother to her community, as well as a beacon of compassion and leadership.
Arc of Hilo, Recipient of the James Leach Award
The Arc of Hilo consists of eight social enterprises with a mission to improvethe quality of life for people with developmental or other disabilities througheducational, recreational, vocational, and skills training as well asemployment and residential opportunities.
Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, Recipient of the James Rouse Award
The Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley’s efforts have led to a wide range of affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects,including Lehigh and Northampton counties’ housing trust funds, the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership in Easton, Southside Vision 2014 in Bethlehem, and the Allentown Neighborhood Development Alliance in downtown Allentown.
Hon. Richard A. Cordray, Attorney General, State of Ohio, Recipient of the Henry B. Gonzalez Award
Attorney General Cordray is a shining example for state officials everywhere because of the many ways in which he honors his mandate to protect Ohio residents. In January, Attorney General Cordray filed suit against a mortgage broker under Ohio’s Consumer Protection Laws for failure to disclose the terms and conditions of mortgages. In the autumn, Rich worked closely with the Ohio legislature to revise the 2008 Payday Loan Law and eliminate the ability of these lenders to continue to charge usury fees. The Ohio Attorney General was the first in the nation to sue a major mortgage servicer, Carrington Mortgage Services, for unfair practices and failure to write affordable loan modifications. On another front, in May, pharmaceutical corporations paid out $8.44 million due to his successful suit that had seen Medicaid patients overpaying for prescription medications.
Morris Williams, Convener Hamilton County Community Reinvestment Group, Recipient of the William H. Proxmire Award
Morris Williams is the Convener of the Hamilton County Community ReinvestmentGroup, and is a co-founder and the longest sitting member of the Board ofDirectors of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). Mr. Williams has 36 years in communityorganizing and community development, and provides leadership training andcoaching for non-profit boards and issue-based groups. His organizing and facilitation experienceshave addressed a wide variety of priority outcomes such as safe, sanitary, andaffordable rental housing; quality education and high student achievement(public schools and post graduate); fair housing and fair lending; equal employment; and fair access to corporate and government contracts.
Mascha & Manfred Poppenk “Grown in Detroit”, Recipient of the Community Empowerment Award
Dutch documentary filmmakers, Mascha and Manfred Poppenk, set out to show the emergence of farming in the midst of Detroit’s decaying urban landscape through the film “Grown in Detroit. The film follows students at the Ferguson Academy for Young Women a high school for pregnant teens, as they work in the school’s urban garden and learn how to grow nutritious food for their children. The film has won awards at documentary film festivals and aired on public television.
Daniel Gross, Recipient of the Color of Money Award
Daniel Gross is a journalist, author, and editor who specializes in business history, political economy, and the money culture. He is the author of four books,including "Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time" (Wiley,1996), which was a New York Times Business bestseller and has appeared on numerous radio shows and news channels. Before joining Newsweek, he wrote the "Economic View" column in the New York Times, and contributed regularly to magazines such as Fortune and Wired. The award is given for his work documenting and rebutting attacks on the Community Reinvestment Act and exploring the subprime lending market.
Arc of Hilo’s CEO, Michael Gleason, has promoted CRA throughout his travels in the Pacific and through the rural areas of Hawaii’s isolated rural regions. He has served on the Board to assist the growth and development of the Hawaii Alliance for Community-based Economic Development, and continues to be a champion of community economic development both locally and nationally.
About the National Achievement Awards:
Every year at NCRC’s national conference, National Achievement Awards are given to individuals and organizations revered as leaders in expanding financial access for working families and communities. Nominations for these awards are invited from NCRC members across the country, and after a thorough review process, the most deserving are selected to be honored with awards in their respective category.
The National Community Reinvestment Award recognizes an individual who, through their work, has best exemplified the ideals and values of the community reinvestment movement and economic justice.
The Rep. James Leach Award honors the most outstanding rural non-profit organization that best promotes fair and equal access to credit and capital.
The James Rouse Award recognizes the most outstanding urban non-profit that best promotes fair and equal access to credit and capital.
The Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez Award is awarded to the most outstanding government official/agency or for-profit firm that forges the most effective partnerships with community non-profits and assists them in helping traditionally underserved people build wealth and economic opportunity.
The Senator William H. Proxmire Award recognizes the individual whose life’s work exemplifies the spirit and work of Senator Proxmire, an author and lead sponsor of the Community Reinvestment Act, by their contributions to economic mobility.
The Community Empowerment Film Award honors independent filmmakers whose work focuses on economic equality, community empowerment, financial inclusion, neighborhood revitalization, and job development.
The Color of Money Award recognizes a member of the media that produced or composed the most helpful documentary, newspaper reporting, book or public information campaign that contributes to public understanding of the need for fairness and access in the US financial system.
To submit an awards nomination for the NCRC 2011 conference, please send an email to astanfield@ncrc.org with the subject “Awards Nomination.”
About the National Community Reinvestment Coalition
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition is an association of more than 600 community-based organizations that promote access to basic banking services, including credit and savings, to create and sustain affordable housing, job development and vibrant communities for America’s working families.
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