Celebrating Solutions

	In May 2004, Mary Byron Foundation President Pat Byron presented the Celebrating Solutions Award to the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program at Northeastern University in Boston. Students at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, who had taken part in the program, accepted the award with the MVP staff.

The Mary Byron Foundation created the Celebrating Solutions Awards to showcase and applaud local innovations that demonstrate promise in breaking the cycle of violence. We select programs that can serve as models for the nation and offer $10,000 cash awards in recognition of their pioneering efforts.

We accept nominations for the Celebrating Solutions Awards annually. Winners are announced the following Spring. Submissions for the 2008 awards will be accepted beginning in July 2007. Deadline is October 5, 2007.

Eligibility criteria:

• Both the nominated program and the institution must have been operating for a minimum of three years.
• The program must address the issue of domestic violence.
• The program must be part of a non-profit 501(c) (3) or government agency.
• The program should be replicable, or if it is national in scope, the program should have applications for individual communities, regardless of their size or ethnic population.

Not eligible for Celebrating Solutions Awards are:

• Past Celebrating Solutions Award winners.
• Organizations other than non-profit or governmental.
• Organizations operating outside the United States or a U.S. territory.
• Individuals.
• Basic research.

The awards process includes submission of a nomination form, a program outline detailing innovative aspects of the program, and a release. Institutions advancing to the next round will be asked to answer additional questions, submit letters of support, and provide a program budget.

Nominations are judged by a panel of experts in criminal justice, health care, and public policy, and other disciplines that address domestic violence.

The nomination form is available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download the application free. If you experience difficulty downloading the file, please send e-mail to information@marybyronfoundation.org. We will send you a copy via postal mail or fax.

2003 winners:

• American Domestic Violence Crisis Line
• Marin Abused Women's Services
• STEPS to End Family Violence
• Violence Intervention Program

2004 winners:

• Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
• Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland
• Area Agency on Aging - Region One, Inc.
• Center for the Study of Sport in Society's Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program at Northeastern University

2005 winners:

• Family Violence and Rape Crisis Services
• University of Washington Women’s Center
• Women in Construction Training Program
• Women’s Law Initiative

2006 winners:

• Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project
• Cangleska Inc.
• Greater Boston Legal Services
• Texas Council on Family Violence

2007 Winners:

• Ramona’s Way
• The National Center for Victims of Crime
• FaithTrust Institute
• WATCH