African Services Committee Honored with Drs. Frank and Mary Calderone City Health Award

New York, New York, May 2, 2011 – African Services Committee was honored by the Mailman School of Public Health with the inaugural Drs. Frank and Mary Calderone City Health Award.

“I could not imagine a more appropriate organization that embodies everything that my parents stood for,” said Francesca Calderone-Steichen, daughter of Drs. Frank and Mary Calderone. It was Calderone-Steichen who fought to create an award to recognize the achievements of community-based grassroots organizations working in the field of public health, a cause near and dear to her parents’ heart.

The City Health Award was created as a way to honor her parents’ lifelong commitment to the health of the public and specifically the health of the New York City public. A professional partnership between Dr. Frank Calderone and Dr. Mary Steichen led to several successful community-based health initiatives, a long marriage, and a continuing commitment to both local and global public health issues. To honor that commitment, the City Health Award is given annually to a local New York City organization that has demonstrated an outstanding dedication to grassroots work in the field of public health. African Services Committee is honored to be the first recipient of this award.

“We would like to thank the Calderone family and the Mailman School for Public Health,” said Kim Nichols, African Services Committee Co-Executive Director, “especially for their foresight in granting such an award for the purpose of grassroots work in public health. We like to think that the grassroots is not only where African Services began but from where we will always continue to carry out our mission.”

The Calderone City Health Award not only comes with citywide recognition, but also with an additional monetary award of $15,000. African Services Committee looks forward to utilizing these funds to support client projects and activity costs.

For more information regarding this award, please contact: