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Iowa's Marilyn Adams named winner of national Hometown Hero awardAdams will receive $100,000 for the charity of her choice More than 20 years ago, Marilyn Adams tragically lost her son in a farm equipment accident. The death inspired her to become a safety hero to thousands of children and found Farm Safety 4 Just Kids to educate kids nationwide about farm safety and health. Volvo Feb. 19 announced that Adams, of Earlham, Iowa, has been named one of the top three winning heroes in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards. Adams is being recognized in the program's Safety category and will receive a $100,000 contribution to the charity of her choice. Adams will receive her award at the Volvo for life Awards Ceremony at New York City's world famous Cipriani's 42nd Street on March 19. During the ceremony one overall Grand Award winner will also be named "America's Greatest Hometown Hero" and will be presented with a new Volvo every three years for the rest of his or her life. "Volvo has helped us spread our farm safety message to countless rural families and to save an untold number of children from farm tragedies," said Adams. "We are unbelievably excited and couldn't be more grateful. The $100,000 donation will help us establish an endowment fund that will secure the financial stability of the organization as we pave the road for the future."
More about Marilyn Adams Adams, 57, faced every mother's greatest fear. Her 11-year-old son, Keith, suffocated in a gravity flow wagon while helping with the first full day of harvest on the family's farm in Iowa. Determined to find a constructive outlet for her grief, she was inspired to create a nonprofit organization working to educate children about farm safety and health. Today, thousands of volunteers across the United States and Canada work to keep rural kids safe and healthy. In 1987, Adams founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids and set out on a mission to promote safe farm environments and eliminate farm-related child health hazards, injuries and fatalities. A report by the National Safety Council found that children between the ages of five and 14 were 66 percent more likely to be injured in a farm accident than adults aged 45 to 64. Farm Safety 4 Just Kids' contribution to the farm safety movement has helped to reduce the number of agriculture-related fatalities among children in the United States. Farm families now have additional programs and educational materials highlighting the dangers that children can encounter on farms, and information about how to avoid them. Farm Safety 4 Just Kids now has 137 chapters throughout North America. Through her visits to rural schools, media appearances, testimony before government agencies and in Congress, Adams has spread her farm safety message across the country. The American public selected Adams and eight other finalists, three in each category of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment. A distinguished panel of judges--including Hank Aaron, Sen. Bill Bradley, Maya Lin, Dr. Sally Ride, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Dr. Mae Jemison and Edsel B. Ford II--then selected Adams and two other category winners, who are: Environment--Lorraine Kerwood, Eugene, Ore. Lorraine Kerwood, 47, established NextStep Recycling. The organization has recycled more than 800 tons of electronic waste and placed 11,000 computers in disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad. More than 500 computers have been shipped to rural Guatemalan schools, orphanages and non-governmental organizations.
Quality of Life--Matthew Sanford, Orono, Minn. Matthew Sanford, 42, was involved in a car crash that took the lives of his father and sister, and left him paralyzed from the chest down. Now, he is a nationally recognized yoga teacher, author and renowned expert in mind-body integration who has inspired and enhanced the lives of thousands. In 2001, Sanford founded Mind Body Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the simple and practical notion that minds and bodies work better together, offering programs in the workplace, in corporations, at the yoga studio and in the community at large. The Volvo for life Awards, launched in 2002, is the largest-ever national search for and celebration of everyday heroes in the categories of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment. Volvo Cars of North America provides $1 million in awards and contributions in honor of heroes. Since the inception of the program, Volvo has contributed more than $5 million to help hometown heroes continue their extraordinary work in their communities.
Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award Winner Unveiled In addition to the three category winners, Volvo also named 10-year-old Zach Bonner, of Valrico, Fla., the winner of the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award. The award was created by Volvo Cars of North America to honor young heroes who do the extraordinary in the areas of Safety, Quality of Life and Environment in the name of Alexandra Scott, a Volvo for life Awards winner from Wynnewood, Pa., who passed away at age eight from cancer. She raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research through lemonade sales and other fundraising activities. Parents Jay and Elizabeth Scott continue promoting Alex's cause and raising money for pediatric cancer research through their foundation, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Bonner, who will receive a $25,000 charitable donation, founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc., an organization that collects and donates backpacks filled with food and school items to disadvantaged children nationwide. In late 2007, Bonner completed a marathon walk from Tampa to Tallahassee, Fla. covering - 280 miles over 23 days, raising money and awareness for homeless children along the way. 2/25/08 Date: 2/20/08
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