2007 Jefferson Award
The Jefferson Award is given to individuals that make a difference on a daily basis in their local communities. The recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.
In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis along with Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard founded the American Institute of Public Service to create a Nobel Prize for public and community service. The Jefferson Award became a program of the American Institute of Public Service with a long tradition of recognizing outstanding public service at the local and national level.
Since 1973, the Jefferson Awards have been presented in five categories. The categories were created by the Board to reflect the full range of service to America from top elected officials to neighborhood volunteers. They range from "Greatest Public Service by An Elected Official" to "Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities."
In 1977, 12 newspapers and television stations (the San Francisco Examiner being one of the original 12) began the Jefferson Awards Media Partnership. The Media Partnership seeks out grassroots "Unsung Heroes." They take on the role of administering the program across the country. By April 2004, the Jefferson Awards had 147 Media Partners in 93 communities.
CBS Channel 5 News, KCBS radio and the San Francisco Chronicle have joined together to highlight this week's Jefferson Award "Unsung Hero", Russ Ewell recognized for his initiative to create and build a program where typical and special needs children of all ages come together on a soccer field to develop skill, confidence, self esteem, and friendship. e-Soccer serves over 250 children in five Bay Area counties with its all volunteer coaching staff. e-Soccer has recently started programs in the countries of India and Kenya.
The Jefferson Award article appeared on Sunday, November 4th in the San Francisco Chronicle "Style" section. A segment of the award was brodcasted on CBS Channel 5 eyewitness news in November 2007.