Inaugural FosterMorey Awards Presented To Inspiring Leaders
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FosterMore has been focused on shaping the public narrative around foster care to showcase the potential and promise of foster youth nationwide since its inception in 2012. Partnering with media companies, businesses and non profits, FosterMore works to infuse positive depictions of foster youth and families into popular culture and engage the public to take action on behalf of youth in foster care.
"The FosterMorey Awards is a new initiative to recognize accomplishments in advancing positive portrayals of foster youth in media and the individuals and organizations who work tirelessly to help them succeed," said FosterMore co-founder, Jennifer Perry.
"We are thankful for the support and commitment that our many media partners have provided that allowed our recent awareness campaign "Donate Your Small Talk " to have a significant impact on the public's engagement with foster youth," said FosterMore Media Council Co-Chair, Glen Friedman. "We salute KABC for their sustained commitment and we proudly recognize the strong leadership of WTVD," said Chris Raleigh Co-Chair FosterMore Media Council.
The 2021 inaugural FosterMorey Awards recognized winners in five award categories:
Content Creator of the Year — a writer, producer, show-runner, or actor whose work has helped to cast a positive light on the youth in foster care.
Winner: Randal Wells — A foster care alumni, the singer/songwriter debuted his passion project, "Foster Tales" a podcast that dives into his previous philanthropic endeavors within the Foster Care Community in 2021. "Foster Tales' is available to stream wherever podcasts are made available.
Journalist of the Year — a member of the media whose work has helped tell the valuable stories of youth and families touched by the Child Welfare System.
Winner: John Kelly — Kelly is senior editor of The Imprint and founding editor-in-chief of its predecessor, The Chronicle of Social Change, which he helped launch in 2013. In addition to overseeing national coverage, Kelly manages the opinion pages and produces Youth Services Insider, The Imprint's subscriber platform providing business coverage and policy analysis for readers involved in child welfare and juvenile justice leadership. In 2020, John launched The Imprint Weekly Podcast to discuss pressing issues in child welfare.
Organization of the Year — an organization (nonprofit, foundation, or child welfare agency) whose exceptional work has elevated the field.
Winner: Together We Rise — Together We Rise is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the way kids experience foster care in America. It is comprised of motivated young adults and former foster youth. Their vision is to improve the lives of children in foster care who often find themselves forgotten and neglected by the public. They collaborate with individuals, companies and community partners to bring resources to foster youth.
Media Outlet of the Year — a media outlet that has generously contributed donated airtime to FosterMore's Donate Your Small Talk campaign. In 2021 alone, the campaign has received more than $20 million in donated airtime. Two awards were presented in this category.
Winner (top 10 market): KABC Los Angeles — One of FosterMore's first partner stations KABC is a true champion of foster youth. The station hosts the annual Spark of Love Toy Drive which has collected more than 9 million toys over the past two decades and has benefited countless youth in foster care.
Winner: WTVD Raleigh-Durham — WTVD Raleigh-Durham has generously aired FosterMore's Donate Your Small Talk PSAs more than 1,000 times in 2021.
FosterMore Scholar of the Year— a foster youth and scholar who has made an impact on the foster care community through their resilience and hard work.
Winner: Cheyenne Cobb — Cheyenne is a former foster youth and recent graduate of UCLA. In 2020, she launched Jenni's Flowers, a fashion brand and social impact business to raise awareness about the plight of youth who grow up in foster care. An alumnus of the Television Academy Foundation's internship program, Cheyenne is also a budding documentarian.
About FosterMore: FosterMore is an unparalleled coalition of media and entertainment companies, foundations, non-profits, businesses and philanthropic organizations working to create greater understanding, empathy, and action to improve the future of youth in foster care.
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