WXYZ Announces Winners of Detroit 2020 Awards

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- WXYZ-TV is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Detroit 2020 Awards.  The awards honor those that exemplify Detroit 2020's motto of Unify. Inspire. Act.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110602/CL13539LOGO)

These are the winners selected in each category:

"Unify" award:  Toni McIlwain, President & CEO of the Ravendale Community Organization.  McIlwain has worked for decades in her east side community.  Her efforts have helped bring about a 40% reduction in crime and helped improve the appearance of the neighborhood. 

"Inspire" award:  The Front Porch.  The organization provides educational and recreational opportunities to youth in Detroit according to their interests, initiatives and needs.

"Act" award:  Motor City Blight Busters.  The group is committed to revitalizing the Detroit community.  It cleans up dump sites, tears down blighted houses, and paints and rebuilds homes.

More than 250 nominations were received for the Detroit 2020 Awards.  The winners were selected by the Detroit 2020 team.  The winners will be presented with a Detroit 2020 Award and a cash prize to help further their efforts to improve the communities they serve.

The winners, along with other finalists, will be honored at a Detroit 2020 Awards luncheon on Thursday, April 19th from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the studios of WXYZ-TV. 

"WXYZ is pleased to recognize the hard work and dedication of these three organizations that are striving to make a difference in our communities," said WXYZ Vice-President and General Manager, Ed Fernandez. "They truly represent what Detroit 2020 is all about: to 'Unify, Inspire and Act.'"

The award recipients will be featured in a special program hosted by Stephen Clark and Carolyn Clifford, The Detroit 2020 Awards, on Saturday, April 21st from 7 to 7:30 p.m. on WXYZ-TV, Channel 7.  The program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 22nd from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on WXYZ-TV. 

Detroit 2020 is a decade-long, multi-platform regional impact initiative designed to dramatically change the course of metro Detroit. In 2011, Detroit 2020 presented more than 100 stories and four special programs focusing on topics that would help move Detroit forward including race, education and the economy.

The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse, 133-year-old media enterprise with interests in television stations, newspapers and local news and information Web sites.  The company's portfolio of locally focused media properties includes:  19 TV stations (10 ABC affiliates, three NBC affiliates, five Azteca America affiliates and one independent); daily and community newspapers in 13 markets, and the Washington, D.C. based Scripps Media Center, home of the Scripps Howard News Service.  For a full listing of Scripps media companies and their associated Web sites, visit http://www.Scripps.com/.

SOURCE WXYZ-TV