Dr. Mackie and Six Other Nonprofit Founders Over Age 50 Will Receive $50,000 to Support Their Organizations
WASHINGTON – Today, AARP announced the winners of the AARP Purpose Prize award which includes Calvin Mackie, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, STEM NOLA. This annual award recognizes extraordinary nonprofit founders age 50 or older who are using their knowledge and life experience to make a difference. AARP will award each Purpose Prize winner $50,000 for their organization. Honorees will also receive a year of technical support to help broaden the scope of their organizations’ work. From voter advocacy and health equity to STEM education and post-release support, the work of this year’s honorees affects a variety of communities.
“I’m truly honored to receive the AARP Purpose Prize award and grateful for the recognition of our work. This award reaffirms our mission to expose, inspire and engage young minds through interactive, hands-on STEM activity. It also motivates us to further enlighten children and communities throughout the country with our events and programs to opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. A heartfelt thank you to AARP for your support in helping us expand our reach and empower the next generation of innovators, creators, makers and entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Calvin Mackie, CEO and Founder, STEM NOLA.
STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, represents the cornerstone of modern innovation and progress. It is the interdisciplinary teaching of these subjects that lays the foundation for technological breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and economic prosperity. STEM NOLA, founded in 2013 by Calvin Mackie, PhD, a visionary native of New Orleans and former tenured Tulane University Engineering professor and his wife Tracy Mackie, has emerged as a national leader in designing and delivering STEM-based activities, programs, and events to K-12 students, families, and communities.
The mission of STEM NOLA and now STEM Global Action is to expose, engage, and inspire future innovators, creators, makers and entrepreneurs through STEM-based activities and to opportunities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Since 2013, STEM NOLA | STEM Global Action has engaged over 160,000 participants in grades K-12.
“Our AARP Purpose Prize winners show the power that lived experience can bring to solving some of the most urgent problems facing us today,” said Barb Quaintance, AARP Vice President of Enterprise Awards. “In finding their own purpose, they are improving lives around the world.”
Recipients and their organizations will be honored during an in-person celebration in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 1, 2024. For more information, go to aarp.org/purposeprize.
About STEM NOLA:
STEM NOLA is a national leader in the design and delivery of STEM-based activities, programs and events to K-12 students, families and communities. Participants in STEM NOLA programs receive a unique interactive, hands-on learning experience that allows learners of all ages to deepen their knowledge in STEM studies, gain confidence in their abilities and chart a course for career opportunities in STEM fields.
CONTACT:
STEM NOLA: Jim Pittman, jpittman@stemnola.com, (504) 583-5862
AARP: Henry Kenney III, hkenneyiii@aarp.org, (202) 714-0214
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