| ST. LOUIS, MO – Encore.org, a national nonprofit that recognizes and invests in outstanding social innovators over the age of 60, has honored Cecilia Nadal, executive director of Gitana Productions, Inc. as a Purpose Prize Fellow.
Cecilia Nadal is one of 38 Fellows selected from a pool of nearly 800 nominees nationwide. Nadal founded Gitana Productions in 1996 and has produced dozens of internationally focused concerts, plays and festivals to increase cross-cultural awareness and collaboration through the arts in the St. Louis community. Nadal also created Global Education through the Arts, a local youth project that uses dance, poetry and drama to cultivate cross-cultural communication, social skills, team building and conflict resolution among economically challenged youth. Nadal currently is producing “Black and Blue in St. Louis,” a play that explores the complex relationship between the African American community and police. Inspired by recent events in Ferguson and written by Lee Patton Chiles, the play will debut Spring 2015. "I am honored to be a part of a movement that sees the value and importance of recognizing individuals in their encore lives,” said Nadal. “The journeys that many of us have taken, and the skills and experiences we have learned along the way, are valuable assets for social innovation. Now is the time to bury antiquated stereotypes about value and relevance in the later phases of our lives. I hope my life exemplifies what is possible in leading a purposeful life with creativity and dedication to community." “Encore.org is proud to recognize the achievements of Cecilia Nadal and her 2014 Purpose Prize Fellows cohort,” said Eunice Lin Nichols, director of The Purpose Prize®. “Cecilia is a powerful example for the millions of Americans who believe that using life experience to make a difference – big or small, across communities, continents and generations – is a vital responsibility.” The 2014 Purpose Prize Fellows represent inspiring examples of social innovation with growing potential for impact, according to Nichols. Fellows will gain valuable access to a dynamic learning community of like-minded Encore.org leaders and innovators. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof will be the keynote speaker at the Purpose Prize Fellow Awards ceremony October 28 at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Two finalists will receive $100,000 and four finalists will receive $25,000 from the organization to continue their groundbreaking work. Funding for The Purpose Prize comes from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation. Now in its ninth year, The Purpose Prize is the nation’s pre-eminent large-scale investment in people over the age of 60 who are combining their life skills and talents for the social good. Encore.org (formerly Civic Ventures) is a nonprofit organization building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world. About Gitana Productions – Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural awareness and collaboration by bringing international music, dance and drama to the St. Louis community. Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org, visit www.facebook.com/gitanaproductions or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556. About the Purpose Prize – Created in 2005 by Encore.org with major investments from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation, The Purpose Prize has honored over 430 Purpose Prize winners and fellows in nine years. See more at www.encore.org/prize. About Encore.org – Encore.org is a national nonprofit that is building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world. The Purpose Prize is a program of Encore.org. About The Atlantic Philanthropies – The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic is a limited-life foundation that makes grants through its five program areas: Aging, Children & Youth, Population Health, Reconciliation & Human Rights, and Founding Chairman. About the John Templeton Foundation. The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality. The Foundation supports research on subjects ranging from complexity, evolution, and infinity to creativity, forgiveness, love, and free will. It encourages civil, informed dialogue among scientists, philosophers, and theologians and between such experts and the public at large, for the purposes of definitional clarity and new insights. # # #
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Source: Gitana – News