Press Release
Leading Advocate on Lead Poisoning Prevention Receives Library's 1997
Brooke Russell Astor Award
November 3, 1997, New York City -- The New York Public Library has announced
Cordell Cleare, Co-Chair of the New York City Coalition to End Lead
Poisoning, as the recipient of the Library's eleventh annual Brooke
Russell Astor Award. The award, established in 1987 by a generous gift
to the Library from David Rockefeller, commends an unsung hero who has
substantially contributed to improving the quality of life in New York
City. Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library, said,
"In just two years, Cordell Cleare has reached out to literally hundreds
of people in this city through workshops, home visits, and health fairs.
The Library is proud to present Ms. Cleare with this $10,000 award in the
name of our beloved Honorary Chairman Brooke Astor, who herself contributes
so much to the quality of life in this city."
Ms. Cleare was honored at a reception in the Trustees Room of
The New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Ivy Frazier,
nurse and co-founder of the Harlem Back Street youth program, received
this year's Honorable Mention ($2,000). Thomas J. Moloney, Esq.,
the founder of the Washington Irving High School Business Advisory Council,
was given a Special Citation ($1,000). Brooke Astor, President Paul LeClerc,
and Chairman of the Library's Board of Trustees Marshall Rose attended
the reception.
About the Winner
Cordell Cleare became involved with the New York City Coalition to
End Lead Poisoning (NYCCELP) when her youngest son was diagnosed with lead
poisoning at age 2. When her search for helpful information did not turn
up much, she began to seek ways to help inform other parents. "Last
year, nearly 2,000 New York City children were diagnosed with serious levels
of lead poisoning," said Ms. Cleare. "And those are only the
ones we know about. My biggest concern is to get the basic information
out there to parents, because lead poisoning is completely preventable."
In her effort to reach parents and educators throughout the city, Ms.
Cleare conducts workshops on lead poisoning prevention at day care centers,
head starts, public schools, and for the Montefiore Medical Center's Lead
Poisoning Prevention Project. She also conducts home visits and speaks
at health fairs. As Co-Chair of The New York City Coalition to End Lead
Poisoning, she recently helped organize a lead poisoning prevention information
day at City Hall and has obtained support from government officials, organizations,
and individuals. The Coalition is a citywide organization comprised of
families with children who have lead poisoning or who are at risk, health
care professionals, housing organizers, and representatives of environmental,
disability, and community organizations.
1997 Honorable Mention and Special Citation
This year, the Brooke Russell Astor Award Honorable Mention went to
Ivy Frazier, a nurse and Co-Founder of the Harlem Back Street youth program,
begun in the 1970s to find employment opportunities for inner city youth.
She has also developed and implemented numerous food and clothing programs
for the homeless.
A Special Citation was given to Thomas J. Moloney, founder of the Washington
Irving High School Business Advisory Council. Through the efforts of Mr.
Moloney, a partner at the law firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton,
and the Advisory Council, over 100 local organizations and businesses have
become involved at Washington Irving, located in the Union Square area,
resulting in vastly increased academic and business opportunities for the
students.
The Brooke Russell Astor Award
The Brooke Russell Astor Award was established in 1987 as part of a
generous endowment gift to The New York Public Library from David Rockefeller.
Mr. Rockefeller's gift is a tribute to Mrs. Astor's continued commitment
to supporting the role of individuals who improve the quality of life in
New York City. Given annually, the Brooke Russell Astor Award honors an
unsung hero or heroine, someone whose unrelenting efforts and tireless
dedication to this city have contributed substantially to its betterment.
Nominations
Nominations for the 1997 Brooke Russell Astor Award were solicited
from over 250 individuals and organizations, including cultural groups,
universities, foundations, elected officials, community groups, and social
service agencies. A selection committee, chaired by Dr. Paul LeClerc, included
representatives from the cultural, academic, government, and social service
communities of New York. The committee reviewed this year's 25 nominations
and selected the winner.
The Selection Committee
Serving on the selection committee were Judith Arron, Executive Director
of Carnegie Hall; Mrs. Dorothy Cullman, Trustee of The New York Public
Library; The Honorable Fernando Ferrer, Bronx Borough President; Dr. Paul
LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library; Elihu Rose, Partner,
Rose Associates; and John T. Sargent, Trustee of The New York Public Library.
Previous Winners Cordell Cleare is the eleventh recipient of the Brooke
Russell Astor Award.
Previous winners
- 1996 - Kathy Goldman, Founder and Executive Director of the Community
Food Resource Center, has been working on city, state, and federal levels
to address food, hunger, nutrition, and low-income issues in New York City.
- 1995 - Henry J. Carter, Founder of Wheelchair Charities, Inc., an organization
that, through the efforts of volunteers, raises funds for people with disabilities.
- 1994 - Frank Carucci, Coordinator of Cultural Arts for the Career Education
Center of the Board of Education. Mr. Carucci engages homeless and educationally
disadvantaged "at-risk" adolescents in hands-on performing arts
production.
- 1993 - Sister Elizabeth Hasselt, Co-Founder and Executive Director
of Encore Community Services, an agency dedicated to improving the quality
of life of poor and homeless elderly people in the Times Square and Clinton
communities.
- 1992 - Dr. Joyce Wallace, M.D., F.A.C.P., Executive Director of the
Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and a pioneer
in the field of AIDS care and research.
- 1991 - Guy Polhemus, Founder and Executive Director of WE CAN, a bottle
and can redemption program that provided jobs for the homeless.
- 1990 - Marie Christopher, Co-Founder of Alliance for a Drug-Free City,
who waged a successful battle against a drug dealer operating in her apartment
building.
- 1989 - Genevieve Brooks, President and Executive Director of MBD Community
Housing Corporation, a coalition of churches, tenant associations, and
service groups created in 1974 to stop the deterioration of a Bronx neighborhood.
- 1988 - Rita Zimmer, Founder of "Women in Need," an organization
on the West Side of Manhattan serving homeless women and their children.
- 1987 - Emma Blake, a retired practical nurse who devoted her personal
resources to the hungry and homeless in Central Harlem.
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11/03/97
pro: th,jb: 9-22-97
thoerenz: pro: 11-26-97
