One Family to Celebrate 2010 Graduates and Honor Dancing Deer CEO Trish Karter

BOSTON, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- One Family, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission of ending family homelessness in Massachusetts, announced today that it will honor Trish Karter, CEO and co-founder of Dancing Deer Baking Company, with its Founders Award at its annual Mothers of Inspiration gala on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at the Westin Copley Place Boston.  Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will present the Founders Award at Mothers of Inspiration.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100322/NE74464 )

"Trish Karter was an obvious choice for this honor.  She represents the qualities that we are trying to nurture in our One Family Scholars: social responsibility, passion, and leadership.  A decade ago, when One Family and Dancing Deer were both new enterprises, Trish committed to end family homelessness through her corporate and personal engagement with One Family.  Through Dancing Deer's Sweet Home Project, she has given more than $250,000 to support our mission.  What's more, in addition to being a mom and running a business, in 2009 Trish took her commitment to new heights by riding her bike from Atlanta to Boston to raise awareness of the terrible plight of homeless families living in shelter.  Ten years and 1,500 miles later, Trish remains committed today to creating a country where every child has a permanent home," says Denise Durham Williams, One Family's Executive Director.

Since its founding in 1994, Dancing Deer has pursued a broad mission of doing good while doing well, including core principles of philanthropy, natural food, green packaging, an empowered workforce, and social responsibility.  Dancing Deer and One Family created the Sweet Home Project in 2001 -- a program that donates 35% of the retail price of Sweet Home goodies to One Family's initiatives to end homelessness.  Every year, Dancing Deer employees -- the "Deers" -- travel to homeless shelters to provide children with the opportunity to create sweet holiday memories by decorating gingerbread houses with their parents.  At this year's event, one 5-year-old child of a One Family Scholar said, "I never got to decorate a gingerbread house before because we didn't have the money to buy one.  This is fun!"  

"Trish is an inspiration," Durham Williams notes. "Through her socially responsible business model and generous spirit, Trish continuously inspires everyone she meets, from CEOs to homeless children."  

About One Family, Inc.

One Family, a non-profit organization founded by Paul and Phyllis Fireman and family, is committed to ending family homelessness in Massachusetts.  Working with leaders from government, faith communities, business, and academia, One Family is helping to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and to provide stability for future generations.  Every day, One Family works to build solution-based responses to homelessness and awakening the broader public to the realization that we are all one family, and that our public policies and private acts must be responsive to the plight of our poorest members.  

Recognizing education is the pathway out of poverty, One Family offers the One Family Scholars Program. There are 75 One Family Scholars, all low-income single parents, across Massachusetts in the 2009-2010 school year.  The One Family Scholars program offers one-of-a-kind scholarships; in addition to college tuition, scholarships include flexible funds for expenses such as transportation, rent, and childcare to allow the scholars to focus on earning a college degree. Scholars also benefit from leadership training, financial literacy and professional development to help them build a path to economic independence.  At this year's Mothers of Inspiration event, One Family will celebrate the college graduation of 17 of its One Family Scholars.  

About Dancing Deer

Dancing Deer is a company of people who are passionate about food, nature, aesthetics and community. Known for yummy, all-natural cakes, cookies, brownies and baking mixes, the company has won many national awards and accolades for its distinctive products and innovative business practices.  All employees are stakeholders in this women-run enterprise.  Sold in gourmet and natural food stores nationwide such as Whole Foods Market and Williams-Sonoma, the company also ships directly to consumers (www.dancingdeer.com 1-888-699-DEER) and offers creative marketing programs to corporate customers. When people are happy it shows in the food!

http://onefamilyinc.org/events/moi2010/

SOURCE One Family, Inc.