Volunteers of America Honors Frank Glaviano, CNN and New Orleans Saints Owner, Tom Benson, For Their Commitment to the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Effort

NEW ORLEANS – Volunteers of America, one of the nation’s largest and oldest human services organizations, presented its highest honors today to individuals and organizations that have championed the rebuilding of New Orleans in the three years since Hurricane Katrina.

As the centerpiece of the closing dinner at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside concluding its National Conference, Volunteers of America presented its highest honor – the 2008 Ballington and Maud Booth Award -- to Frank Glavianio, vice president, production - Americas for Shell Exploration and Production. Also honored were CNN, which received the 2008 Empathy Award for journalistic excellence, and New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who received the 2008 Good Samaritan Award in Philanthropy.

Charles Gould, national president and chief executive officer of Volunteers of America, said, “These awards recognize those individuals and organizations that share our commitment to get involved in the hard work of rebuilding individual lives and strengthening whole communities. By all of us joining together to empower all people, we can make an impact that none of us could make alone.”

Each year, Volunteers of America chooses individuals and organizations that embody the spirit of the organization to receive its three highest awards:

• Ballington and Maud Booth Award: The Booth Award is presented annually to an individual or couple for distinguished service to humanity. The award is named after Ballington and Maud Booth, who founded the organization in 1896 with a vision and a promise to “go wherever we are needed and do whatever comes to hand.” Glaviano was selected because of his tireless efforts on behalf of the families of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina through ensuring area employment, providing funds to schools and sponsoring Jazz Fest, among other efforts. Previous Booth Award winners include Hubert Humphrey, Nancy Reagan, Lady Bird Johnson, Andrew Young and Cal Ripken, Jr.

• Empathy Award: The Empathy Award recognizes authors, journalists and news organizations for outstanding community service and excellence in reporting about social issues. The first award was given to the Chicago Tribune in 1995 for a crusading series on violence against children. CNN was selected this year for the honor because of the dedication demonstrated by the network and its journalists to report on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. CNN’s efforts inspired countless Americans to reach out to those affected by the storm and its aftermath. Accepting this year’s Empathy Award on behalf of CNN is Sean Callebs, a general assignment correspondent for CNN based in New Orleans who was part of the expansive CNN team that covered Hurricane Katrina.

• Good Samaritan Award in Philanthropy: The Good Samaritan Award is presented each year to a person, program or organization that has made extraordinary efforts to provide services and shelter to those in need. Previous recipients include The Fannie Mae Foundation and the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Benson was chosen this year for his incomparable efforts to rebuild the region following Hurricane Katrina. He founded the New Orleans Saints Katrina Relief Fund and worked tirelessly to raise money for the aid efforts. The team contributed $1 million to the fund in addition to collecting and distributing donations from sponsors like Bank of America and other NFL teams. Saints players went out in the community to work on building projects, like homes and playgrounds, as well as worked with children to reestablish youth football programs and facilities.

Volunteers of America has served the New Orleans area’s most vulnerable residents since 1896 and is working today to build affordable housing that will allow displaced residents to rebuild their lives. The organization established the “Coming Back Home” initiative to create more than 1,000 units of affordable rental housing and has partnered with other nonprofits through Katrina Aid Today to touch the lives of nearly 200,000 people with much-needed care and services.

Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans served more than 62,000 people in 2007, not counting disaster services provided to more than 166,000 individuals. The organization serves 16 parishes in the region and provides hundreds of units of affordable housing, a variety of services for the elderly and disabled, and support for those living with HIV and AIDS, among its many programs.

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Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Through thousands of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions. 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. For more information about Volunteers of America, visit http://www.volunteersofamerica.org/.