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The Matrix Foundation sponsors several awards to recognize communications excellence in several areas. These awards include: The Edith Wortman First Amendment Award is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions in supporting the First Amendment and First Amendment rights. The Helen Duhamel Achievement Award is designated for media professionals, with special emphasis on broadcast journalists, who have made significant achievements in their profession while overcoming extreme hardships and/or challenges, and who have used their First Amendment rights to give back to society rather than simply report on events. The Edith Wortman First Amendment and Public Speaking Competition awards are underwritten by the Helen Duhamel Achievement Awards fund and financed by grants from Kathy Duhamel and Mary Kay Switzer. Both honor excellence in calling attention to and on behalf of First Amendment issues. These programs were established to honor Edith M. Wortman, an outstanding communicator, community and state leader who was a fierce advocate for freedom of speech. Not only was she an award-winning public speaker, she was an artist, a teacher and a business owner. Wortman was named Rapid City, South Dakota, Woman of the Year in 1970, as a humanitarian and civic leader. She worked with the Human Rights Commission to help develop leadership for the Lakota Sioux Tribal women and as South Dakota State President of the Federated Women’s Clubs of America she developed a fund raising campaign which resulted in establishment of a $500,000 art gallery and auditorium on the campus of South Dakota State University. Award Winners
Barbara Ericksen Memorial Fund The Barbara Ericksen Memorial Fund was created by the Matrix Foundation to assist in sending AWC student members to the AWC Annual Professional Conference—either through AWC Chapter or Student Chapter efforts, or for Independent AWC student members. The Association for Women in Communications and her South Florida community lost a great person, colleague and friend with the untimely death of Barbara Ericksen. Barbara was an award-winning management and communication expert specializing in the non-profit field. At the time of her death she was a member of the AWC National Board and executive director for Kids Voting Broward, a program serving nearly 300,000 students. In Barbara's honor, the Barbara Ericksen Fund has been created by the Matrix Foundation to assist in sending AWC student chapter members to the AWC Annual Professional Conference. The first recipient of this award was Susy Vela, a full-time, fourth-year communications major at Florida International University (FIU). Memorial Fund Sends Students to the 2007 Conference Tax deductible donations can be sent to the Matrix Foundation via this form. |
