Volunteers of America Honors Author and Cultural Anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson with its 2010 Empathy Award
For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Burch
Volunteers of America
(703) 341-5054 or dburch@voa.org
SEATTLE, Wash., June 7, 2010 – Volunteers of America, one of the nation’s largest and oldest human services organizations, presented its 2010 Empathy Award to author Mary Catherine Bateson in Seattle on June 7. The Empathy Award recognizes authors, journalists and news organizations for outstanding community service and excellence in reporting about social issues.
Bateson is a renowned author and cultural anthropologist focused on the trends affecting active and engaged older Americans. Throughout her career, she has used her work to advocate for seniors and the unique contributions they make to their communities and society as a whole. “Last year, Volunteers of America launched a new initiative called Aging with Options, aimed at providing services and support to older people that allow them to live healthy, independent lives for as long as possible,” said Charles W. Gould, national president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America. “Through her research and writing, Dr. Bateson has been a tireless advocate for older people and the notion that aging provides an opportunity for reinvention and a new life. It is this sprit that Volunteers of America strives to capture in all our senior services.”
Bateson has authored numerous books, including “Composing a Life,” “Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery” and the upcoming “Composing a Further Life,” scheduled to be released in September 2010. She is the president of the Institute for Intercultural Studies, founded by her parents, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. She also is a professor emerita in anthropology and English at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and a Visiting Scholar at the Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College.
Volunteers of America’s Empathy Award was first given to the Chicago Tribune in 1995 for a crusading series on violence against children. Other recipients have included “Dead Man Walking” author Sister Helen Prejean, national columnist E.J. Dionne, Washington Post editor Colbert I. King and CNN.
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About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. We offer a variety of services for older Americans, in particular, that allow them to maintain their independence and quality of life – everything from an occasional helping hand to full-time care. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.
