National Caring Award Winners, 2005

Bob Dole, Genny Nelson, and Genny’s dad and brother

Bob Dole and Genny Nelson

Genny Nelson, who co-founded Sisters in 1979, won the 2005 National Caring Award. Given by The Caring Institute, the award honors the ten most caring men and women and five most caring young people in America as selected by a prestigious panel of judges each year.  Genny traveled to Washington, D.C to receive the award.

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At a reception on December 13, 2005 at City Hall, Portland Mayor Tom Potter declared the day as an official Day of Appreciation for Genny Nelson, in honor of her Caring Award and service to the community.  She read her D.C. Awards Ceremony speech at the reception; click here to read a short description of the DC event, and that speech.



Past recipients of the award include President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter; Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity; and Mary Jo Copeland, founder and driving force behind Caring & Sharing Hands, an organization that provides food and clothing for the homeless.

The Institute sent this message along with the award announcement:  “Every year the Caring Institute receives thousands of nominations of people worthy to receive a National Caring Award, from all over the country.  The nominees are then narrowed down to fifteen semi-finalists to be voted on by secret ballot by our distinguished (!) panel of judges (you should see the list!).  Only a privileged few are selected for this prestigious award.  This is a well deserved honor, and puts you in a very esteemed company of past winners including Mother Teresa, former President Jimmy Carter and Hugh Downs.  At the Caring Institute we strive to promote positive values and exemplify the importance of service.  It is our belief that the solution to most problems lies in the love, understanding and caring of one human being for another.”


Here is a brief description of the Award from the Institute’s web site, www.caring-institute.org:

What is the purpose of the National Caring Awards?

In response to a challenge from Mother Teresa to do something about the ‘poverty of the spirit in America that far exceeds the poverty of the body that one finds in the Third World’, CI Founder Val J. Halamandaris created a program to educate and inspire the public. Remembering a quote from Albert Schweitzer which said, ‘When it comes to education, example is not just a factor, it is the only factor that matters,’ Halamandaris began looking for individuals who had dedicated their lives in service to others—individuals who could serve as role models for our society. ‘A nation is what it honors,’ says Halamandaris. ‘Mother Teresa recognized that caring is the one-word distillation of the Golden Rule. She helped me recognize that America has a high stake in identifying and honoring individuals who are preeminent in this value.’”



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