Wall Service Award 1998 Winners

Benjamin Whitehill ’51

Benjamin WhitehillBenjamin Whitehill ’51, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has received $25,000 for his project, "Bread for the Journey." Whitehill, a public health physician who was born and reared in Marshalltown, Iowa, and who now lives and works in Santa Fe, is using the award to expand the 10-year-old nonprofit organization known as "Bread for the Journey" in a new directions, establishing a national organization with local chapters.

Bread for the Journey was founded in 1988 to serve the needs of people and communities throughout northern New Mexico. It is a voluntary organization with a 6-member board of active volunteers, with no paid staff. It is based on a belief that a small, quiet network of dedicated people can serve with simplicity, minimal administrative costs, and with dignity and effectiveness. Since 1988, BFJ chapters have micro-granted over three million dollars to community-based projects.

As a nonprofit charity, BFJ supports ideas, talents, and the commitment of local people through projects that are simple, quick, and helpful. The task is clear: to find people who are excited about helping their community and help them make it happen.

Update:
As a result of the Wall Service Award, Bread For The Journey has now expanded to 20 chapters throughout the USA, located in the following places: Ashland, OR; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Bloomington, IN; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Denver, CO; Flagstaff, AZ; Indianapolis, IN; Kauai, HI; Oakland, CA; Orange County, CA; Portland, ME; San Diego, CA; Santa Clara County, CA; Santa Fe, NM; Seattle, WA; Sebastopol, CA; Southwest Michigan (Kalamazoo), MI; Wilmington, DE.

Trevor Harris ’89

Trevor Harris ’89, of Cold Springs, New York, has received $20,000 for his public service project, "Building Bridges, Building Boats." Harris will use the award to develop an after-school program for high school students in Cold Spring. The program is devoted to increasing self-confidence and an awareness of the history and ecology of the Hudson River through a year-long process of building shad boats, the traditional wooden fishing boats of the Hudson River.

The after-school program takes high school juniors through a program of working together in pairs each weekday afternoon to build the boats. Every other weekend, students organize community service projects and cooperative learning ventures involving parents, siblings, and friends, at the Audubon Society's Constitution Marsh, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and river clean-up sites.


Learn more about the Wall Service Award and see other previous winners.