The North Carolina Peace Prize recognizes a non-profit agency in the Tarheel state which promotes peace and cross-cultural understanding and shares the "helping others to help themselves" ideology of the Peace Corps.
In 1996, the Director of Latin American Affairs at the Carter Center, Bob Pastor, presented the first annual Peace Prize to Student Action with Farmworkers
Winners in years since then include the My Sister's House, Center for Participatory Change; High Country Amigos; Durham-San Ramon Sister Communities; North Carolina Partners of the Americas; El Centro Hispano; SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces); Friends of the Glenwood Library; Student Action for Farm Workers and Nourish International.
Previous Winners and Photos: * 2008 Nourish International * (no award given in 2007) * 2006 My Sisters House
The 2008 Peace Prize (photos) was awarded to Nourish International. NI believes that many communities constrained by the cycle of poverty are highly entrepreneuria, dedicated, and determined, but lack the resources and opportunity to improve their conditions. NI harnesses the power of socially driven students to deliver funding, resources, and talent that helps those trapped in poverty to create a real change in the their lives. They support long term sustainable projects for impoverished communities. The award was given by Peace Corps Deputy Director, Dr. Jody Olsen. Accepting for Nourish International was founder Sindhura Citineni. (more photos)
The 2006 NC Peace Prize was awarded to My Sister's House of Rocky Mount, NC at a ceremony on February 26, 2006. My Sister's House is committed to improving the quality of life for victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault through crisis intervention, outreach and community awareness. The award was presented by RPCV Sarah Parker, Chief Justice of the NC State Supreme Court. Remarks were also given by Brenda Brown Schoonover, a former US ambassador and RPCV.