The Eisner Foundation To Honor Generations United And L.A. Kitchen As Winners Of The Eisner Prizes For Intergenerational Excellence
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) February 01, 2016 -- This month, The Eisner Foundation will honor two exceptional organizations, Generations United of Washington, D.C., and L.A. Kitchen of Los Angeles, California with The Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence. The Prizes are $100,000 cash gifts that recognize an individual or a non-profit organization for efforts to unite multiple generations and bring about positive, lasting changes in their communities. The Prizes will be awarded at the Encore.org National Conference in San Francisco on February 10, 2016.
“It is our honor and privilege to present this year’s Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence to Generations United and L.A. Kitchen,” said Michael Eisner. “The Prizes allow us to award organizations that share our mission of bringing together older and younger people to enrich the places in which they live. We applaud the efforts of these two intergenerational organizations to make their communities better places to live, especially for vulnerable children and elders, and we want to shine a light on their work through awarding them our Eisner Prize.”
The Eisner Foundation is honoring L.A. Kitchen for “Innovation in Intergenerational Solutions.” L.A. Kitchen brings a unique intergenerational approach to the problems plaguing Los Angeles County by providing young adults aging out of foster care and older adults recently released from prison with culinary job training in a 20,000 square foot kitchen. Through food preparation, L.A. Kitchen addresses issues of unemployment, poor health and food waste. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Robert Egger was President of D.C. Central Kitchen, the country’s first “community kitchen.”
“At this crucial moment, when generations are often divided, we are both humbled and honored to receive The Eisner Prize. While the award is a powerful affirmation of our daily work at the L.A. Kitchen, it is something we intend to leverage,” said Robert Egger, President of L.A. Kitchen. “We want to join other colleagues to help expose the social wisdom and economic vitality of an intergenerational agenda. From nonprofits and social enterprises, to everyday citizens and local governments, we want to show that there are powerful opportunities, in every town, in bringing young and old together to tackle tough social issues side by side.”
The second winner of this year’s Eisner Prize, for “Lifetime Achievement in Intergenerational Advocacy,” is Generations United, a national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. For nearly three decades, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. Generations United uses two, three and four generation approaches to stimulate economic opportunity and address poverty by promoting solutions directed at children, parents and extended family members. The Best Intergenerational Communities, Program of Distinction, National Center on Grandfamilies and Seniors4Kids are just a few of the broad-reaching programs of Generations United.
“This year Generations United celebrates its 30th anniversary. There couldn’t be a more outstanding endorsement of our work than to receive The Eisner Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Intergenerational Advocacy,” said Donna Butts, Executive Director of Generations United. “We are so proud to receive this prestigious recognition by a foundation that shares our deep belief that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged. To do this we must use policies and practices to connect generations and not separate them. The prize has given us cause to celebrate but even more important it’s given all of us at Generations United--including our board, staff and members--reason to reflect and recommit even more vigorously to building a world that values all ages. ”
“The Eisner Prize brings the subject of intergenerational programming, and its benefits, into a national conversation,” said Jane B. Eisner, Board President of The Eisner Foundation. “Highlighting programs across the country that bring seniors and youth together to enhance their communities is an important component of what we do at The Eisner Foundation. These two organizations are true leaders in this field, and we’re proud to find a way to honor and celebrate their innovative commitments to children and seniors.”
This is the fifth year of the annual Eisner Prizes. Previous winners are The Intergenerational Center in Philadelphia, the national organization Experience Corps, The Motion Picture and Television Home in Los Angeles, The Intergenerational School in Cleveland, Ohio, and Bridge Meadows in Portland, Oregon.
“One of the reasons we started The Eisner Prizes was so we could identify and subsequently learn from the most innovative and entrepreneurial intergenerational organizations in the country,” said Trent Stamp, CEO of The Eisner Foundation. “I’ve learned more from L.A. Kitchen and Generations United than I ever could have imagined. They are the best of the best in this growing intergenerational arena, and they are worthy recipients of our 5th annual Eisner Prize.”
About The Eisner Foundation
The Eisner Foundation identifies, advocates for, and invests in high-quality and innovative programs that unite multiple generations for the betterment of our communities. The Eisner Foundation was started in 1996 by Michael D. Eisner, then-Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and his wife Jane in order to focus their family’s philanthropic activities. The Eisner Foundation gives an estimated $7 million per year to nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles County. In 2015, The Eisner Foundation became the only U.S. funder investing exclusively in intergenerational solutions. To learn more about The Eisner Foundation, please visit the organization’s website at http://www.eisnerfoundation.org.
About L.A. Kitchen
Founded in 2013 by Robert Egger, L.A. Kitchen brings a unique intergenerational approach to the problems plaguing Los Angeles County. L.A. Kitchen provides young adults aging out of foster care and older adults recently released from prison with culinary job training in a 20,000 square foot kitchen. Through food preparation, L.A. Kitchen addresses issues of unemployment, poor health and food waste. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Robert Egger was President of D.C. Central Kitchen, the country’s first “community kitchen.” L.A. Kitchen believes that neither food nor people should ever go to waste.To learn more, please visit http://www.lakitchen.org.
About Generations United
For nearly three decades, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. Generations United uses two, three and four generation approaches to stimulate economic opportunity and address poverty by promoting solutions directed at children, parents and extended family members. The Best Intergenerational Communities, Program of Distinction, National Center on Grandfamilies and Seniors4Kids are just a few of the broad-reaching programs of Generations United. Generations United believes that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged. To learn more, visit http://www.generationsunited.org.
Contact:
Trent Stamp, CEO
The Eisner Foundation
trent.stamp(at)eisnerfoundation(dot)org
310-228-6808
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Trent Stamp, The Eisner Foundation, http://www.eisnerfoundation.org, +1 310-228-6808, [email protected]
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