2007 Toni Stone Innovative Initiative Award Nominees
Congratulations to all 2007 Nominees!
Award Recipient
Melanie Stephens
Executive Director, Centro Latino de Educacion Popular
Nominated by Martin Sweeney of Alliance for Technology Access
Innovative Initiative: LEAMOS (Let's Read)
CTCNet awarded Melanie Stephens, Executive Director of Centro Latino de Educacion Popular in Los Angeles, CA, the 2007 Toni Stone Innovative Initiative Award for her leadership in the development of a unique computer-based Spanish literacy program called LEAMOS (Let’s Read).
Click here to read the Press Release.
Click here to read about Melanie Stephens' innovative initiative.
Award Nominees
Robert M. (Bob) Cabeza - Long Beach, CA Executive Director, YMCA of Greater Long Beach Innovative Initiative: The Youth Institute "[Bob Cabeza's] greatest impact has been in changing the futures of low-income, culturally diverse urban middle and high school students through the Youth Institute, a year round youth development program that integrates state-of-the-art technology into literacy, media arts, career development, civic engagement, project-based learning and youth and character development as tools for setting youth on the pathways to college and careers." |
Ronda Evans - Kennewic, WA President, RECA Foundation Innovative Initiative: 4People "Ronda is the reason the RECA Foundation is one of the most successful non-profits in the region. But her crowning achievement has been 4People. 4People got its start in 1997 when a consortium of health care providers, employment specialists, and non-profit agencies in Chelan and Douglas counties came together with a common goal: to provide a comprehensive, online database of health and human services for their bi-county area." |
Marco Figueiredo - Columbia, MD Co-Founder, Gems of the Earth Network Innovative Initiative: Center for Community Informatics (CCI) "The founding of the Center for Community Informatics (CCI) legitimizes the study of technology solutions for rural villages. Marco's work has created an academic entity whose sole purpose is to devise technology solutions for rural villages that would otherwise be left behind. The Center for Community Informatics shares information via its blog, hosts conferences, and otherwise unites people working for technology empowerment." |
Claire A. Murray - Malden, MA President, Murray Learning Associates Innovative Initiative: The "jigsaw puzzlin’” approach to community collaboration. "The Cyber Café has become community space and resource for all, especially those who are low income, elderly, homeless, immigrants, or have disabilities... Placing people at the center of community, Claire views everything as within reach. She calls it the “jigsaw puzzlin’” approach, and it works. As you fit pieces together in a jigsaw puzzle, smaller pictures emerge that are part of the whole. You work with and build on these smaller pieces, joining them to other small pieces, eventually forming a large, whole piece: your community." |
Professor Miriam (Gaby) Rinkerman - Paterson, NJ Director, Paterson Community Technology Center Passaic County Innovative Initiative: Multimedia Skills Training program "Among her many projects, [Professor Rinkerman] has developed a highly successful Multimedia Skills Training program for middle school children in Paterson. As part of this program, children affiliated with local youth service providers ... visit the Paterson CTC weekly for hands-on multimedia skills training. ... .... The project activities reinforce their language skills, requiring them to read, write, and speak proficiently. Equally important, they learn how to solve problems, make decisions, work as part of a team, communicate with their project team members, and use sophisticated technology." |
Denise Zaccardi - Chicago, IL Founder & Executive Director, Community TV Network (CTVN) Innovative Initiative: Model Program in Digital Media "Dr. Zaccardi's Model Program in Digital Media is designed to address the overall needs of youth in our community. A pioneer in engaging the tools of technology for empowerment, Denise founded Community TV Network more than 30 years ago in response to the urgent needs of Chicago youth... Since then, she has refined the Model Program, which links technology skill development with best practices in youth development, community development, arts and digital learning... Her Model Program has been replicated at elementary schools, high schools, parks, and community centers." |