The Make a Mark 2018 Awards

It was a huge year for Make a Mark communities around the world — with six make-a-thons across the country, and 14 chapters preparing for 2019’s events around the globe, passing 100 total projects (reaching 132 by year’s end), and surviving its first hurricane delay, Make a Mark chapters, nonprofits, and makers are doing incredible things. The new Make a Mark annual awards are a celebration of the Make a Mark spirit and those who espouse it.

The Kathy Graham Sullivan Community Impact Award is presented annually to an organization, team, or leader that has had a sizable impact on a meaningful problem for the people in its communities.

The Winner

Nonprofit
TAHPROOTS
Chapter
New York City

Dina Rice

Dina Rice is the Founder and Executive Director of TAHPROOTS. On top of her day job, she works to make this organization a reality. Dina and the team at TAHPROOTS challenge people as young as nine to re-think and re-define themselves and the world around them. They use mobile initiatives, placing cameras in the hands of the students after school, and offer free community art workshops to engage and connect the community. They travel to host sites, resource materials and operate 100% by volunteers. TAHPROOTS believes in infusing art and advanced technologies within foundational literacies (beyond STEM) to help students not just make it to college, but make it through life.

Dina was selected by Make a Mark leadership and Kathy’s family. Kathy was an advocate for youth and for educational programming supporting youth, and Bill, Kathy's husband, was excited to see the work that Dina is doing with TAHPROOTS to serve those who need the support and encouragement the most.

The Finalists

Chapter
San Francisco

3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic

The mission of 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic is to help youth from Bayview Hunters Point make healthy and safe decisions that improve their physical, emotional, and social health, empowering them to become successful, engaged adults. They do this by increasing access to primary and behavioral healthcare, providing a healthcare industry focused and recognized workforce development program, and offering low-barrier rapid re-housing for homeless youth.

Chapter
Chattanooga

Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County provides a coordinated and comprehensive response to child sexual and severe physical abuse with a trauma-informed approach for more than 600 children each year. Their staff acts as a continual support system and a stable sounding board for victims and their families.

This organization works to provide support, kindness, empathy, guidance and education on one of the most traumatic and darkest days that a family experiences. The Children’s Advocacy Center does the heavy lifting in their community and shines a light forward for many families that are struggling with this trauma.

Nonprofit
Ovarian Cancer Project
Chapter
New York City

Kathleen Maxian

Ovarian Cancer Project was founded in 2012 by Kathleen Maxian, an ovarian cancer survivor. The mission is to provide education on the symptoms and risks of ovarian cancer and to provide supportive services for women with ovarian cancer in a world where there are no screening tests for this disease.

Kathleen's passion and energy is unmatched. She has been an advocate in the ovarian cancer community for many years and has received various accolades for her work in education, awareness and advocacy including the Cindy Melancon Spirit Award and the Carolyn Pultz Brown Leadership Award.

Nonprofit
PIVOT
Chapter
Baltimore

Emily Thompson and Bridget Nistico

Emily and Bridget are two amazing women who face daily challenges with a topic that many of us overlook – how do we connect women back to their families, their community, and their lives once they are released from the correctional system? A 12-week program, PIVOT provides women critical services in a time when they feel most disconnected. Bridget and Emily started PIVOT at the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab after having many years of experience working in mentorship roles. Their kindness, patience and support for women truly makes a community impact.

Chapter
Charlotte

Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte

Rebuilding Together Charlotte, Rebuilding Together, although technically a national organization, has a self-supporting chapter in Charlotte that is in an ongoing battle against the severe housing crisis in the community. This organization reaches into underserved communities targeting at-risk homeowners to offer safe, accessible, and energy-efficient solutions to repair houses and keep the elderly, low-income, disabled, and veteran homeowners safely in their homes. When volunteers repair homes and offer families and individuals safe living spaces, it promotes accountability and diversity while revitalizing underserved communities in the area. As a result, homelessness and health issues due to poor living conditions decrease while child attendance and education increase when offered a safe and healthy space to live.

Chapter
Asheville

SeekHealing

The SeekHealing project is a new and innovative nonprofit working to address the opioid and heroin crisis. SeekHealing takes a fresh approach to preventing addiction relapse and overdose patterns by empowering people to find true healing after detox. The premise of their model is inspired by recent research that indicates authentic experiences of connection are the cornerstone of successful recovery. In a short period of time, SeekHealing has moved from an idea to an organization that is helping people.

Nonprofit
Welcome Home of Chattanooga
Chapter
Chattanooga

Sherry Campbell

Welcome Home provides shelter, healing and compassionate end of life care for those in need. For those who are homeless, have a mental illness, criminal record, substance abuse issues, there are very limited options for shelter for end of life care. Sherry Campbell was a social worker for many years at a local hospice and kept meeting people who were dying without treatment, a home, and ultimately without hope. People were dying in their cars, behind buildings and on the street. The situation continued to worsen as nursing homes began moving toward rehabilitative care, leaving very few beds for hospice care. In 2014, Sherry and a small group of her friends and colleagues started their journey by renting a home that could house a handful of people who were dying but had no place to go.