$600,000 in Prizes to be Awarded to Life Saving Heroes Natick, MA – Up to $600,000 will be awarded to individuals or organizations that have worked to save human lives and will be honored for their life saving principles and practices at an invitation-only ceremony in January hosted by the Gerard Health Foundation as part of their second Life Prizes program. The inaugural awards and ceremony in 2009 were unprecedented in size and magnificence. More than 1,200 VIPs, students and pro-life activists gathered to honor the winners. Celebrity participation included Master of Ceremonies Laura Ingraham and popular Christian rock band BarlowGirl. Again in Nobel Prize-like fashion, the 2009 – 2010 “Norinne A. and Raymond E. Ruddy Memorial Life Prizes” awards will formally recognize winners at a spectacular ceremony and reception to be held in Washington DC on January 22, 2011. The 2009 – 2010 winners will be selected based upon their success in saving human lives through efforts including public advocacy, scientific research, outreach programs, public disclosure activities, legal action, and other worthy achievements as determined by a qualified selection committee that shares the values and principles of the Foundation. Watch last year’s event video and read the ceremony speeches at www.LifePrizes.org. “Our Foundation has a profoundly simple mission: to save lives,” stated philanthropist Raymond B. Ruddy, founder of the Gerard Health Foundation. “Life Prizes works to honor those who have best accomplished this noble goal and to inspire the next generation to break the mold in their life-saving work. As last year’s winners will tell you, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary goals. We look forward to celebrating six new heroes and thanking them for their ingenuity, dedication, sacrifices and leadership.” Nomination packages have been sent to more than 100 leaders of pro-life organizations and are due back in mid-August. The selection committee will announce Life Prizes winners in October, and awards will be given at a ceremony in Washington, DC in January of 2009. Previous Life Prizes Winners
- Jill Stanek – Nurse who first publicly exposed infanticide of abortion survivors
- Lila Rose – Student leader who has launched several successful, undercover investigations exposing statutory rape cover-up and racism at Planned Parenthood
- American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) – A professional voice reaffirming the unique value and dignity of individual human life in all stages of growth and development from conception onward.
- Richard Doerflinger – Associate Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, bioethics expert, and consummate researcher
- Kay Coles James – Founder of The Gloucester Institute and of Black Americans for Life, pro-life advocate in the highest levels of government for decades
- Margaret “Peggy” Hartshorn – President, Heartbeat International, a preeminent network of more than 1,000 pregnancy resource centers
How Life Prizes Will Be Awarded Nomination Process Life Prizes accepted nominations from a pre-selected group of more than 100 nominators who support the same values and principles represented by the Gerard Health Foundation and were encouraged to nominate at least one worthy candidate by August 16, 2010. Nominees will be evaluated by their advances in public advocacy, scientific research, outreach and public disclosure activities, legal action or other noteworthy achievements. Selection Committee After the nomination deadline, the Gerard Health Foundation will carefully review all submissions and select a group of approximately 20 finalists, which will then be evaluated by a prestigious selection committee of 7 to 10 eminently qualified individuals who will select up to six award recipients. Awards and Ceremony Awards totaling up to $600,000 will be presented to winners of the Life Prizes at an awards ceremony held in conjunction with Students for Life of America’s annual conference during the week of the March for Life in Washington, DC. Recipients have the option to designate their prize money to a charity that is consistent with the Gerard Health Foundation’s objectives and funding policies. About Life Prizes The Gerard Health Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives through the funding and financing of life saving initiatives throughout the world, including extensive support of HIV/AIDS prevention and ranging from activities such as abstinence education, support of pregnancy resource centers, funding clean water programs, distributing food and medical supplies to hospitals in Africa as well as general support for children’s hospitals in Africa. Life Prizes has been championed by a number of devoted pro-life leaders from various branches of the movement. To interview Raymond Ruddy or Claude Allen of Life Prizes, please contact Mary Beth Hutching (ext. 105) or Colleen O’Boyle (ext. 122) at (703) 683-5004.