Horizon Foundation Recognizes Community Leaders at Awards Breakfast

Friday, June 1, 2007

Grassroots Executive Director Andrea Ingram, HC DrugFree, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Columbia Foundation President and CEO Barbara Lawson will all be honored at The Horizon Foundation's Annual Awards Breakfast on June 14.

The awards ceremony recognizes leadership, health education and work with young people. Lawson, who will be retiring this fall after 20 years at The Columbia Foundation, will receive a special Community Appreciation Award. Under her leadership, the community foundation's endowment has grown from about $1 million to nearly $15 million. The foundation provides funding for many of the county's nonprofit human services and arts agencies.

In the 17 years she's been executive director of the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, Andrea Ingram has been a tireless advocate for the men, women and children of Howard County who have nowhere to turn when they desperately need help.

In addition to running to county's only homeless shelter, Ingram helped to develop the Mobile Crisis Team, which operates out of Grassroots, and has worked on teen suicide prevention and with the Coalition to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She also started the county's Cold Weather Shelter, a project of the faith-based community to provide shelter to homeless people during the winter when Grassroots' shelter is full.

But her service to the community doesn't stop there. She has served on the board of the Association of Community Services and the Local Board on Homelessness and is an active member of the Community Emergency Response Network (CERN).

Ingram will receive the Richard G. McCauley Leadership Award, named in honor of the foundation's first board chair.

HC DrugFree's mission is to empower parents to raise healthy, alcohol- and drug-free teens by providing newsletters, programs and web resources on a variety of issues related to parenting and substance abuse. Under the leadership of Executive Director Laura Smit the organization also presents an annual Teen Job and Volunteer Fair, which attracted more than 1,000 people this year.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity is one of the oldest service organizations in Columbia. For 10 years, the Howard County Chapter has been running a nationally recognized program, Alpha Achievers, which encourages the character development and academic growth of African-American male high school students. Two hundred young men are currently involved in the program at four high schools.

Alpha Phi Alpha's other "Pipeline Intervention" programs include the Ellington-Adderley African-American Community Jazz Ensemble; Alpha Excellence Grants to encourage African-American male students to take advanced placement classes; Project Alpha, which helps young men make responsible decisions about sexuality; and an extensive scholarship and recognition program.

Barbara Lawson became The Columbia Foundation's first full-time executive director in 1989. Since, she has served as an architect of the county's nonprofit infrastructure, mentored executives of other nonprofits and fostered a community that values philanthropy.

Under her leadership, the foundation has provided seed money for new programs, encouraged local organizations to start their own endowment funds and provided technical assistance that has strengthened the infrastructure of the nonprofit community in Howard County.

The Horizon Foundation started its awards program in 2004. With approximately $90 million in assets, the foundation addresses health and wellness issues through strategic grantmaking and partnerships with private and public institutions.

The awards breakfast begins at 8 a.m. at the Hawthorn Center in the Village of Hickory Ridge in Columbia. For information, contact jeanmoon@comcast.net.