Contact:
Kimberli Meadows
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KMeadows@pointsoflight.org

KANSAS CITY MAYOR RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Points of Light Foundation Presents Award at National Conference

Kansas City, Missouri (June 6, 2004) - The Points of Light Foundation announced today that Mayor Carol Marinovich is the recipient of the 2004 Community Leadership Award. Gary Forsee, Chairman and CEO of the Sprint Corporation, presented the award during the opening session of the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service. The conference, convened by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, is being held at the Kansas City Convention Center through June 8.

Mayor Carol Marinovich was honored for her leadership and proactive efforts to institute positive and lasting change in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK). While Mayor Marinovich believes in the importance of partnering with government agencies, local and state, she also believes that it's important to work closely with neighborhood groups-what she calls "the mainstay to the longevity of positive change." Since she became Mayor, citizen involvement in the life of the city-a real measure of the health of a city-has grown significantly, with the number of KCK neighborhood organizations growing from 30 to more than 100.

In 1997, Marinovich chaired the KCK delegation to the Presidents' Summit on America's Future in Philadelphia. Following the Summit, she was instrumental in the establishment of Kansas City's Promise and co-chaired the effort in its formative years, providing leadership in Wyandotte County and across the metropolitan area.

The Points of Light Foundation Community Leadership Award was established in 1992 to recognize the outstanding citizen volunteer in the mmunity that is host to the National Conference on Community Volunteering and National Service.

The recipients are chosen based on recommendations presented by the conference host committee. Past Community Leadership Award recipients include Marva N. Collins, Chicago's Westside Preparatory School founder; Dr. Gary B. Morsch, founder of Heart to heart International of Kansas City, Mo.; Victor M. Diaz, Jr., founder of UNIDAD/Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center of Orlando, Fla.; Mary E. Doucette, Elder Network founder of Minneapolis, Minn.; Olene S. Walker, Lieutenant Governor, State of Utah; and Art and Pat Modell, Owners of the Baltimore Ravens.

The National Conference is made possible with the support of a number of local sponsors including the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Hallmark Cards, Inc., Sprint, Bank of America (Guy I. Bromley Charitable Trust), KPMG, American Century Investments, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, J.E. Dunn Construction, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City, Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company, HCA Midwest Division, Kansas City Power & Light, Aquila, Sally Ann Firestone Foundation, Sosland Foundation, The Edward A. and Beth K. Smith Philanthropic Fund, Tension Envelope Corp., Commerce Bank, Kansas City Star, Gold Bank, Heart of America United Way, Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc., Kansas City Royals Baseball Corporation , Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company, Ball's Food Stores, Inc. and VFW.

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The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network engages and mobilizes millions of volunteers who are helping to solve serious social problems in thousands of communities. Through a variety of programs and services, the Foundation encourages people from all walks of life - corporations, faith-based organizations, low-income communities, families, youth, and older adults - to volunteer. By calling 1-800-VOLUNTEER, or visiting www.1800volunteer.org, interested persons can get connected to volunteer opportunities within their communities.