Philadelphia, PA (March 8, 2012) – LIFT-Philadelphia, a local antipoverty organization, has selected David Eisner, the President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, to receive its inaugural Lifting Communities Award in recognition of his exceptional commitment to civic engagement and service. The award will be presented at LIFT-Philadelphia’s annual Spring Celebration on Thursday, April 12th from 6:30-8:30pm at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.
The Lifting Communities Award recognizes a leader who embodies LIFT-Philadelphia’s values and strives to involve others in transforming communities. David Eisner has been at the helm of the National Constitution Center since 2009 and presides over the $200-million facility’s financial, educational and programmatic initiatives. He previously served as the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the government agency housing AmeriCorps, VISTA, and Senior Corps, and he also was the founding director of the AOL Foundation while an executive at AOL/Time Warner. LIFT-Philadelphia will honor Mr. Eisner’s efforts, as he has touched the lives of tens of thousands of citizens working together to create positive change in Philadelphia and throughout the country.
“I am honored to receive the first Lifting Communities Award from such an important, innovative organization as LIFT-Philadelphia, which engages college students in providing vital services to citizens in their community,” said National Constitution Center President and CEO David Eisner. “Nothing inspires me more than the passion and creativity of college students out to make the world a better place, and no organization captures and utilizes their energy and idealism better than LIFT.”
“As a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization focused on combating poverty, LIFT-Philadelphia is intimately familiar with the transformation and community-building that takes place when community members work together,” says Josh Romalis, Executive Director of LIFT-Philadelphia. “We are thrilled to present David with this award, as he is a visionary leader who has been a tireless advocate for community engagement and volunteerism throughout his career.”
For more information about LIFT-Philadelphia’s Spring Celebration event, please call Josh Romalis at 267.439.9597.
About LIFT-Philadelphia
LIFT-Philadelphia’s mission is to combat poverty and expand opportunity for all people in Philadelphia. With two centers in Philadelphia, LIFT-Philadelphia engages talented volunteers, recruited primarily from local area colleges and universities, to work one-on-one with underserved community members, our clients. Together, clients and volunteers locate resources that enable clients to find employment, secure safe and stable housing, make ends meet through tax credits and public benefits, and obtain quality referrals for services like healthcare and legal aid. As clients make progress on the path to opportunity, LIFT volunteers are empowered and transformed, gaining a better understanding of the realities of poverty and the actions necessary to change the systems and policies that stifle social mobility. In the past year, LIFT-Philadelphia served more than 2500 clients through the efforts of over 120 volunteers. LIFT-Philadelphia is part of LIFT, a national nonprofit network that was described in the New York Times as “one of the most innovative organizations working to re-imagine poverty alleviation.” For more information, visit www.liftcommunities.org or call 267.439.9597.
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the most powerful vision of freedom ever expressed: the U.S. Constitution. Located on Independence Mall in Historic Philadelphia, the birthplace of American freedom, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires active citizenship through a state-of-the-art museum experience, including hundreds of interactive exhibits, films and rare artifacts; must-see feature exhibitions; the internationally acclaimed, 360-degree theatrical production Freedom Rising; and the iconic Signers’ Hall, where visitors can sign the Constitution alongside 42 life-size, bronze statues of the Founding Fathers. As America’s forum for constitutional dialogue, the Center engages diverse, distinguished leaders of government, public policy, journalism and scholarship in timely public discussions and debates. The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, the national hub for constitutional education, which offers cutting-edge civic learning resources both onsite and online. Freedom is calling. Answer it at the National Constitution Center. For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.
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