April 30, 2009             For Immediate Release

Contact: Deanna Rankin, Campaign & Marketing Director, 216.361.9920 deanna@communityshares.org     www.communityshares.org

Community Shares Honors Activists at Power Lunch

Annual Meeting Will Recognize Outstanding Social Justice Work

CLEVELAND-Community Shares will host its annual awards event to recognize individuals and organizations for their work for social justice issues on Friday, June 19 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Windows on the River in the Powerhouse, 200 Sycamore St. in the Flats.

Cleveland City Councilman Anthony Brancatelli (Ward 12) will receive the Eleanor R. Gerson Leadership in Social Justice Award. Brancatelli was selected for his tireless work on behalf of the disempowered, particularly on the issue of predatory lending. As early as 1999, long before predatory lending was on most politicians’ radar, Brancatelli spearheaded investigations into predatory lending in the Slavic Village community and initiated a task force to address these issues.

Policy Matters Ohio will be honored as the Member Organization of the Year. 2008 has been an extremely busy time for the research and advocacy organization. In that year alone, they authored reports exposing the gap between income and the cost of living in Ohio, the lack of affordable healthcare in the area and dangerous working conditions in factories in China. The Nation magazine also named them the “most valuable state or regional group” in 2008.

The Social Justice Reporting Award will recognize Dan Harkins of Cleveland Scene for his report “Disparate Times.” This in depth article uncovered the unequal and unfair drug charges given to white suburbanites versus people of color in Cleveland. Harkins’ report led the way for future articles by Scene, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and the Call & Post. In late 2008, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced that he would suspend the city’s policy of charging cases where only drug residue is found as a felony.

George Hrbek, co-founder of Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, will be named Shares’ Distinguished Activist. Hrbek has long been a leader in the Cleveland community. Through his work at LMM, Hrbek designed programs to aid community re-entry services, subsidized housing and a nursing home ombudsman program. He has also been a vocal advocate of Shares as a member of its advisory board.

Mike Brickner of the ACLU of Ohio will be honored as the Volunteer of the Year. As a member of Shares’ Marketing and PR Committee, Brickner has helped shape the public persona of Shares and present the organization to new audiences. Brickner also volunteers with Shares YP, the new young professionals group looking to connect non-profits and young activists.

The LGBT Community Center and NAACP of Greater Cleveland will also accept a special award called The Power of Participation: Making History. The award recognizes their outstanding collaboration during the successful campaign for a domestic partner registry in Cleveland.

Tickets for the event, which is open to the public, are $30.  Call 216-361-9920 or visit www.communityshares.org for more information and ticket reservations.

Community Shares is a collaboration of 36 progressive organizations working for real change. Shares provides an easy, effective way for people, through gifts at work, to support the social justice missions of our members.