By Sarah Zimmerman
Wilmington, Del.— Mannington Mills honored three exceptional women who are making the world a better place at its third annual Stand on a Better World Awards on Nov. 15 at the Hotel du Pont here. Barbara Drennen, founder of the Pediatric Interim Care Center (PICC) in Kent, Wash.; Debra Bonde, founder of Seedlings Braille Books for Children in Livonia, Mich., and Dr. Nancy Press, co-founder of Child Aid in Portland, Ore., were recognized as the respective Local, National and Global Award recipients. Bonde was also awarded the “Your Better World Award.”

Inspired by her role as a foster care provider and the upsurge of crack babies in the ’80s, Drennen formed PICC (www.picc.net), the first and only 24-hour non-profit center providing short-term care for drug-exposed infants. “It’s extremely humbling to be honored for the work that I do out of the love and passion I have for kids,” she said. PICC has treated more than 2,220 newborns since it opened in 1990. And last year, after extensive fund-raising efforts, the center moved into a permanent home, expanding its capabilities and fulfilling Drennen’s vision.

Bonde, a typically shy and reserved woman, has also been placed in the spotlight for her work in the blind community. Seedlings Braille Books for Children (www.seedlings.org) commenced after Bonde, who cherished her time spent reading to her daughters, became a volunteer Braille transcriber and realized there was a lack of Braille material for kids. Seedlings is dedicated to increasing literacy, providing quality Braille books for every level of reading at a low cost. It has produced more than 235,000 Braille books since 1985. Bonde has also started The Rose Project, which provides free encyclopedia articles in Braille, and Anna’s Book Angel Project, which offers free books to children worldwide in memory of her daughter Anna, who was killed by a drunk driver.

Dr. Nancy Press wanted to “do something” in memory of her father after he passed away nearly 22 years ago. Child Aid (www.child-aid.org) became a reality after she and her husband visited Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1987, where Press came face-to-face with the desperate lack of education and health for children—a cause her father held dear to his heart. “The poverty around us was striking,” she said. Press and her husband set out with a budget of $10,000 and a suitcase of donated hearing aids to help the kids of Oaxaca. Twenty years later, Child Aid has become a sophisticated hearing loss organization supporting education, health, social work and an early detection program serving three million Oaxaca residents. Press’ vision recently crossed borders, providing literacy programs in Guatemala.

Mannington gives back

Ed Duncan, vice president of marketing, noted Mannington’s culture of giving as a factor behind the awards program. “It’s part of the Campbell family legacy—a generous family means a generous company.” As Mannington moved to a more consumer-focused business strategy, understanding women to be the core, driving force behind the flooring industry’s success, the company asked, “How can we give back to women, and incredible women?” Thus, the Stand on a Better World Awards were created in 2005.

Keith Campbell, Mannington’s chairman, introduced the awards as a “fabulous way to congratulate three women doing marvelous work that coincides with our goals here at Mannington.” Campbell pointed to the following shared values: doing the right thing; caring (for the association, customers, environment, etc.); controlling our own destiny, and work hard, play hard.

Award recipients are selected from nearly 200 nominations nationwide by a panel of judges, who this year included: Billie Jean King—who spearheaded the women’s movement in tennis and achieved 39 record titles during her career, Deborah Roberts—recognized journalist who has worked with “20/20,” “Good Morning America,” “Dateline NBC” and more, and most recently reported from Africa on the emotional plight taking place there, Olga Murray—last year’s Global Award recipient and founder of the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation, and Mannington’s Shirley Campbell, Betty Davis and Tammy Holm.

Drennon, the grand prize winner, received $25,000 for her organization, and Bonde and Press were awarded $10,000 each. Bonde was presented with an additional $10,000 for the “Your Better World Award,” which is an additional honor voted on by consumers nationwide via the Internet after initial recipients have been selected.

Nominations for 2008 will open in April and run through the end of August. People can log onto StandOnABetterWorld.com to sign up for an e-mail reminder when nominations begin.

For more information on Mannington, visit www.mannington.com.