Can you hear me?

World of Children, a Central Ohio organization, gives a voice to children throughout the world.

For the past 5 years, a Columbus based non-profit organization has helped give the world’s children a voice by recognizing amazing people throughout the world that have dedicated their lives to helping children.

Well on it’s way to becoming the Nobel Prize of Child Advocacy, The Hannah Neil World of Children Awards honors six remarkable individuals every year at the annual dinner and celebration.

Two of these honorees will receive $100,000 each through awards sponsored by Kellogg’s and Cardinal Health, Inc.

All six honorees have made a lifetime contribution to children and they are usually nominated for the award by friends and colleagues.

References for honorees have included people such as Senator Ted Kennedy, the Honorable John Glenn and the Honorable Frank Moss. This year, there were 161 nominees from 27 different countries.

A local selection committee sorted through countless nomination packets, as well as reviewed videos, magazine articles and other supplementary materials sent about the nominees.

Out of the161 nominees, the number was reduced to six. From these six, three are considered for The Kellogg’s Child Development Award and three others for The Cardinal Health Children’s Award. The World of Children International Selection Committee, chaired by three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, selects a winner for each of the two awards.

Kellogg’s, the founding sponsor five years ago, has helped The Hannah Neil World of Children Awards become what they are today. World of Children, Inc., recently announced that Cardinal Health, Inc., a world-renowned health care company, has joined this year with its sponsorship of a new award. With this second $100,000 award, World of Children, Inc. will be able to recognize more people that might otherwise go unnoticed.

New this year is the addition of the Kids' Town Hall Meeting. Six Fifth grade classes from Columbus area schools will have the opportunity to study one of the honorees and their work this fall.

All of these children will get together for the Kids' Town Hall Meeting on November 15th, where they will have the opportunity to meet the six honorees and discuss what they have learned about them. World of Children foresees this innovative educational program as an annual kick-off to the awards dinner and celebration.

CNN News Anchor Leon Harris will continue in his third year as emcee of the award dinner and celebration. Muhammad is also planning on attending the dinner and celebration in November.
 

"We are very excited because of three major developments. First, we will be giving a second $100,000 award, the Cardinal Health Children's Care Award. Second, our Kids' Town Hall Meeting is an innovative program concept designed to create mentoring and role modeling for young people," WOC President David Lippy said. 

"The format we have created shows great promise and we plan to greatly expand the program in 03 to include many more schools both in Columbus and around the country," he said.  "Third, our honorees for this year are some of the finest human beings on the planet doing tremendous work on behalf of the children who really do need our help. It's a privilege to be associated with this kind of work."

This year’s Hannah Neil World of Children Awards will be held on November 16th. Proceeds from the Awards dinner and celebration benefit the Columbus Hannah Neil Center for Children, a professional residential treatment program that serves children with emotional and behavioral disturbances.

The center, which was founded by Mrs. Hannah Neil in 1858, also offers foster care for ages 4-18, medsomatic service, and community education and training, which includes No Disposable Kids. If you would like more information about World of Children, Inc., please contact Suzan Nocella at (614) 491-3633 or visit their website at www.WorldofChildren.org.

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