WASHINGTON – Melissa Poe Hood, founder of Kids for a Clean Environment, or Kids F.A.C.E., will receive the AAUW/NASPA Women of Distinction Award at the University of Maryland, College Park, on Thursday, June 4, during the 2009 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.
Hood was 9 years old when she began a campaign for a cleaner environment by writing to then-President Bush after watching a TV program that showed a frightening picture of what the world would look like if society didn't do anything about air pollution.
When the president didn’t respond to her letter, Hood called billboard companies and convinced them to donate advertising space. Soon her letter appeared on more than 250 donated billboards across the country, which led to appearances on the Today Show and Good Morning America. And the club Hood started at her elementary school in Nashville in 1989 with just six members now has a global membership. Kids F.A.C.E. members have distributed and planted more than one million trees.
In addition to Hood, the other 2009 Women of Distinction awardees are
- Diane Rehm, host, The Diane Rehm Show
- Maj. L. Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Martine Rothblatt, founder, United Therapeutics
- Anucha Browne Sanders, senior associate athletic director for marketing, University at Buffalo.
They join a prestigious group of more than 100 women who have been honored since the award was established in 1985. Presented annually at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, the Women of Distinction Awards honor women leaders who have made extraordinary accomplishments in their professions or their communities and who represent inspiring role models for women student leaders. Past awardees include playwright, performer, and activist Eve Ensler, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), and Olympic medalist Dominique Dawes.
Prudential and the Princeton Review are the Platinum Sponsors of the 2009 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, including the Women of Distinction Awards. Other conference sponsors include the National Panhellenic Conference and the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
Since 1985, the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders has provided a platform to help thousands of college and university women to develop leadership skills, network with other student leaders, and interact with women who hold leadership positions. The conference is presented by AAUW and NASPA.
