Connect America's annual Partner of the Year Award was established in 2000 to honor the outstanding performance of Connect America Partners. Each year, Partners are invited to nominate a Partner organization that has demonstrated success in employing the goals of Connect America to achieve its own organizational mission.

HOPE worldwide has a vision to bring hope and change lives.  As an international faith-based charity founded in 1991, HOPE worldwide’s mission is to change lives by harnessing the compassion and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers to deliver sustainable, high impact, community based services to the poor and needy.  Today, HOPE worldwide serves one million people annually. To fulfill its mission, Centers of HOPE worldwide provide community services for children, seniors, health, education, outreach and/or employment/vocational opportunity.

HOPE worldwide through its relationship with Connect America has built new cross-sector and cross-issue partnerships not only for their organizational benefit but to further volunteerism in America and world wide.  HOPE worldwide was recognized for its high impact partnerships to provide reading and environmental enrichment programs for children from America's poorest communities.  Programs across the country have distributed thousands of books, dramatically increased literacy levels and taught children valuable lessons about wildlife and local ecology.  

The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by more than a million volunteers mobilized by 800 affiliates nationwide.  For 125 years, the mission of the American Red Cross has been to help Americans prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.  The American Red Cross’s accomplishments include responding to more than 70,000 disasters annually, teaching eleven million Americans first aid, CPR, swimming and other health and safety skills, and collecting almost half of the nation's blood supply through the work of 155,000 volunteers.

American Red Cross has been a Connect America Partner since 2001.  During it's partnership with Connect America, American Red Cross has collaborated with many national partners in times of disaster.  Namely, after hurricane Katrina and Rita, American Red Cross, integrated several Connect America Partners in response and recovery efforts.  In addition, they collaborated with other partners post hurricane to develop innovative solutions for handling excess spontaneous volunteers and well as facilitated discussions on the collaborative efforts tied to Katrina response and recovery.

To get information regarding the 2008 Partner of the Year award nomination process, please send an email to ConnectAmerica@PointsofLight.org